15/03/04 - Bid to shrink computer mountain

Cumbria County Council's Cabinet is being asked tomorrow, Tuesday March 16, to fund a study in how to find a new home for the hundreds or even thousands of unused computers in the county. The aim would be to recycle the unwanted but serviceable machines to help community projects, start-up businesses, low-income families or perhaps even users in the developing world. Cabinet members will consider a proposal to grant £10,000 from the county council's community regeneration fund to help pay for a feasibility study and a business and development plan for a community enterprise to carry out the recycling.

Councillor Lawson Short, Cabinet member with responsibilty for environmental issues, said:

"Many organisations upgrade their ICT systems more and more frequently and there is a growing problem of what to do with equipment which still has years of life in it, although it is not up-to-the-minute. There are many potential users who would welcome the chance to acquire such machines, including community groups or community development centres.

"Such a recycling scheme would help all these organisations and individuals and would also reduce the waste of materials and energy involved in merely storing unused equipment until it is well out of date and then throwing it away.

"The grant could be one of the most effective to be made by the community regeneration fund, which has been supporting community enterprises in Cumbria with great success for the last six years."

Cabinet is being recommended on Tuesday to allocate a total of £145,000 from the fund to nine projects, including the computer recyling scheme. These grants, if approved, will virtually use up this year's budget for the fund of nearly £300,000.

The other proposed grants are for £15,000 each to:

An Eco Learning Café at Barrow, offering training in catering, tourism, environmental studies and life skills. This would establish a new business, creating one full-time and two part-time posts and five volunteering opportunities
A proposed Carlisle Credit Union, establishing a new business offering a new service in the area, with one part-time post for a development worker and opportunities for 10 volunteers.
Maryport and District Credit Union, with one full-time post for a development worker to increase revenue and ten volunteer opportunities.
Distington Nursery, setting up a new child care facility with 20 places. Six full-time and three part-time jobs would be created.
Cleator Moor Credit Union, for helping to build up the membership, especially of young people, for an enterprise offering debt services and advice. Two jobs would be safeguarded and 20 training places provided.
Askam Kids Zone, to allow a current project to establish itself as a community enterprise, safeguarding six jobs.
Perfeck (Carlisle to Settle Railway Development Company, to run a new buffet service operating out of Appleby on the Carlisle-Settle line, employing six people part-time.
Highlights Rural Touring Programme, sustaining one part-time post and creating another, promoting additional professional performance events in rural locations across Cumbria.
Pennington Nursery near Ulverston, to enable the registration and expansion of a rural community nursery, helping maintain four part-time posts.

In 2002/2003 the community regeneration fund donated a total of £156,801 to 14 projects, nine of them new schemes. Highest award was £19,000 to the Moody Baker, a community bakery in Alston, and lowest £5,000 each to the Lingla Centre community café in Frizington and to Upperby Credits Development Centre in Carlisle. Most of the grants cash goes on salaries for workers in community enterprises, which are not-for-profit trading concerns with social aims.

The fund exists to help develop community enterprises, create permanent jobs, bring additional money into deprived areas, and increase entrepreneurial activity in Cumbria. It has also enabled more than half a million pounds of matched funding from other sources to be brought into the county.

Cumbria County Council will continue to run the community regeneration fund in the next financial year, 2004/05. Anyone wanting information about grants is asked to contact Nik Hardy, Community Development Officer, Arroyo Block, The Castle, Carlisle, CA3 8UR, telephone 01228 607345.