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Fast Track Small Grants
Fast Track Small Grants information

Community Liaison

Fast Track Small Grants

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How do I get on the Council's Mailing list - we are a new group?

The Community Liaison section of the council keeps a list of all known borough-based voluntary & community groups.  You can give your details to Denyse Richards denyse.richards@lbhf.gov.uk or 020 8753 2487

Once registered with the council you will receive a bi-monthly mailing from the council, which includes the following:

  • A copy of Funding News - a newsletter on sources of funding 
  • Details of training available
  • Information on community events advertised by the voluntary sector                               

You can also register wit the local voluntary sector umbrella group, the Community & Voluntary Sector Association(CaVSA) and the Community and Voluntary Sector Network (CVSN) as follows:
164/166 King Street Hammersmith W6 OQU
CaVSA- 0208 748 6345 or info@cavsa.org.uk
CVSN - 0208 748 6345 or cvsninfo@cavsa.org.uk

What halls are available for hire?

See Hall and Venue bookings page.

Or see the LocalPages search. Type in "Halls" in the Key WORD BOX & CLICK ON SEARCH. This will give you a list of halls available for hire.

You may contact the Hammersmith Broadway Information Centre on 020 8753 4040 for a list.

You may contact Hall lettings at Hammersmith Town Hall on 020 8753 2135/2136 for details on council function rooms and halls for hire.

How do I get premises?

The council does not currently have any vacant properties available for voluntary sector groups to rent.  As you may know the demand for premises in this borough far outstrips availability.

Give us your details and we will send you a questionnaire to complete.  The questionnaire information is held in case space matching your needs becomes available. It also helps us to keep up to date with demand levels. Contact denyse.richards@lbhf.gov.uk 

How do I apply for a Coach Voucher?

The council has, for many years, run a coach voucher scheme that enables local pensioners and other community groups to receive subsidised travel costs so they may enjoy a trip, usually to the seaside, over the summer months.

All groups wishing to be considered are required to complete a short application form giving details about their group, and return it by the deadline specified (usually by the end of March).  Please contact Denyse Richards, in Community Liaison. Tel: 0208 753 2487 or Email: denyse.richards@lbhf.gov.uk

Successful applicants will be based in the borough, have a local management committee and have a constitution.

Groups are asked to specify their preference between a 35-seater coach, a 16-seater fully accessible mini bus, or a cash contribution. Destinations for the coach and minibus must be within 75 miles of Hammersmith & Fulham (this safely includes Brighton, Bournemouth, Southend, and many popular coastal resorts).

Priority is given to local pensioners groups.

Groups which receive more than £5,000 funding per year (from any source, including the Council), or that are run by statutory organisations, are unlikely to receive vouchers.

Is my group on the Coach Voucher mailing list?

We can check this for you please ring Denyse Richards 020 8753 2487 at Community Liaison and she can check the mailing list for you or email your details to denyse.richards@lbhf.gov.uk

How do I complain about a group?

There are an estimated 800 plus voluntary and community groups in the borough, providing a wide range of services to a population of over 160,000.  The Council only directly funds around 100 of these groups so we are only, usually, able to deal with complaints about funded groups.

If you wish to complain about a funded group there are a number of things you can do:

a) Raise the issue directly with the group. We would recommend this as your initial step. All groups should have a complaint procedure that you can obtain.  This will detail how you can raise your concerns: typically it might involve you writing to the organisation and detailing where you believe they could improve.  The group is then likely to respond, and to state how it will deal with the issues you have raised, and give you a timescale for this.  It may contact you for further information, or request a meeting.  It is likely that there will be several "stages" to the complaints procedure which you can go through, from the staff or volunteers directly providing the service, through to progressively senior representatives from the organisation, up to the management committee of the organisation.

b) If you are still not satisfied with the group's response to your complaint, you can raise the issue with the Council. The Council has a procedure for responding to complaints about funded groups. We would intially request that you contact: Sue Spiller, Head of Community Liaison Tel: 020 8753 2487 to discuss your concerns.  In order to ensure that we have a full understanding of your complaint we would ask that you give us the following information:

  • Your name
  • Contact details
  • Name of the group that you wish to complain about
  • The nature of your complaint
  • What would you like to happen now
  • Whether you have raised the complaint directly with the group and if so, how they responded.                               

Once we have this information we will look into your complaint. We will consider whether your complaint constitutes a breach of our funding conditions. If they do not, we will refer the complaint to the organisation directly, and request that we are kept informed of the outcome.

If they do, we will consider the complexity and seriousness of the allegation, the number of grant conditions that have been broken and any financial or equality considerations. If the complaint is such that it involves allegations of fraud or other criminal acts we will rigorously investigate to satisfy ourselves that public funds are appropriately accounted for.

If the Council does not fund the group, we may still be able to intervene in cases of a serious complaint.

The Council has signed up to a local Compact with the voluntary sector.  The Compact includes a Dispute Resolution mechanism, for further details contact:

Network Co-ordinator, Community and Voluntary Sector Network (CVSN), 164/166 King Street Hammersmith W6 OQU
Tel: 0208 748 6345
Fax: 020 8749 3874

Or

Head of Community Liaison,  Community Liaison, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, Town Hall, King Street, London W6 9JU
Tel: 020 8753 2487
Email: sue.spiller@lbhf.gov.uk

What is the Compact?

The H&F local Compact with the voluntary and community sector is a document that lays down agreed principles/standards and promises which guide the working relationship between the voluntary and community sector, the public and the business sector.

If you are not happy with the way the compact is working or with how an organisation that has signed up to the compact is performing, you can contact:

Network Co-ordinator, Community and Voluntary Sector Network (CVSN), 
164/166 King Street Hammersmith W6 OQU
Tel: 0208 748 6345
Fax: 020 8749 3874
Email: helen.waterhouse@cavsa.org.uk

Or

Head of Community Liaison, London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, Town Hall, King Street, London W6 9JU
Tel: 020 8753 2487

Email: sue.spiller@lbhf.gov.uk

How do I donate or receive office equipment or furniture?

Community Liaison operates an equipment pool for the benefit of the voluntary sector in the borough. The purpose of the project is to recycle surplus good condition office equipment or furniture to the voluntary sector.  We have limited storage space which means our aim is to collect and reallocate equipment as soon as possible.

You can give a brief description of the items you would like to donate or require and this information will be passed to Denyse Richards. The direct line is 020 8753 2487or email denyse.richards@lbhf.gov.uk