The Council has announced how the £120,000 taken from the local Ward Committee schemes budget is to be used.

The Council says, “15 organisations were successful in bidding for the grant funding and will deliver a range of activity programmes targeting different communities across the city. Each project will focus on one of the four council objectives of healthy communities, engaged communities, inclusive communities and prosperous communities.

£120,650 has been made available for projects taking place from September this year to March 2013. Each of the community themes has one major project with a value up to £15,000 and a series of smaller grants will fund small-scale, flexible work.

These grants form an overall programme of work, which is a venture between City of York Council and Your Consortium, aimed at providing voluntary and community sector support across the city.

Peasholme Charity, Gateway Action, York and District Citizens Advice Bureau and York Racial Equality Network secured grants for large projects, while York Unifying and Multicultural Initiative, York Mind, Stretch, Family Matters York, NYBEP, Age UK, Older Citizens Advocacy York, Inspired Youth, York Bike Rescue and Millers Yard have been awarded funding for smaller-scale projects”.

The Council has not said how much each project will get not have the detailed objectives of the projects been revealed.

It is unclear whether any of the money will benefit residents living in the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe community.

For the first time for nearly 20 years, residents were not consulted about their priorities for the use of this budget. A pretty poor example of “engaged communities” most will probably think.