The one substantive item on the agenda of this week’s Acocks Green Ward Committee this week was the approval of a substantial element of this year’s Community Chest funds. Spending was approved on all the schemes recommended by the Ward Advisory Board as follows:

1. Business Improvement District – £12,000. This money will be used to finance and complete the Business Improvement District application process now underway for Acocks Green. The application, which will culminate in a vote by businesses in the Village, would, if successful, lead to an extra levy on the businesses (totalling around £100,000) for spending on improving the Village. If this does happen it will generate funding for some of the items (like the Christmas Lights scheme below) which currently require Community Chest funds.
2. Acocks Green Christmas Lights – £5,250. This provide most of the funding needed for this year’s Christmas Lights in the Village.
3. Fox Hollies Christmas Lights – £1,000. This funding (accompanied, hopefully, by funding from  Springfield Ward) will support the Christmas Lights in the Fox Hollies shopping area.
4. Acocks Green Community Unity  – £575. This supports the Community Unity Christmas Party when members of several of the different communities in Acocks Green come together for a shared celebration of each other’s culture and the time of year.
5. Acocks Green Carnival – £5,500. Funding to support this year’s event, which takes place on 2nd July.
6. Acocks Green Gardening Scheme – £2,500. This funds gardening support to elderly and disabled residents and it can also help with some small scale repairs and home maintenance issues.
7. Acocks Green Security Gate Budget – £2,500. Further funds to pay for security gates, which can be powerful tool for community safety.
8. Summer Reading Project – £3,000. This funds a scheme, based in Acocks Green Library, which encourages younger readers to read six books during the summer.
9. Burglary Lock-Fitting Service – £2,500. This is part of a Yardley Constituency based scheme to improve security at homes which have been burgled. There is always a big risk of repeat burglary when thieves hope to steal the newly replaced equipment and this scheme aims to reduce the risk of this.

Together with the £20,495 already spent from this year’s allocation, this takes the total spend to £55,140, leaving £44,860 for spending on further projects.