The Diwali Festival of Lights has been approved for a Ballarat City Council grant, despite a staff recommendation to knock back the request.
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Councillors voted in favour of a $2940 community event grant to support the Indian cultural festival.
It was one of five grants considered at council’s ordinary meeting on Wednesday night.
The decision throws into question the criteria used to recommend what events receive council support.
Cr Mark Harris said the policy had look after the municipality’s small, community events.
“As we stumble through some of these things, I think we need to refine it,” he said.
“Doing this on the run is not good.”
Council’s criteria considered the feasibility, reach, investment and quality of the festival.
This included the event’s marketing plan to achieve its attendance target, its intent to be a self-sustainable festival in the future and if it would reach a broad section of ratepayers.
Each point was given a mark out of five, 10 or 20, however a full breakdown of the score each event received was not provided in the report submitted to council.
Council voted on August 23 to knock back funding requests for two of Ballarat’s biggest charity events – Run Ballarat and the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute Cycle Classic.
Councillors said at the time funding hospitals was not a local government responsibility.
Other community grants approved on Wednesday night included $800 for the Seniors Annual Ball and $1500 for the Learmonth Waste Not Want Not event.
Council voted to defer a Ballarat Athletics Club grant request for funding ahead of the 2018 Ballarat Gift.
Although the staff report recommended a $3300 grant for the event instead of the requested $10,000, councillors decided to give more time to the athletics club to provide a case for greater funding.
Club representative Peter Emmerson said the gift was facing the loss of sponsorship for the 2018 event because upgrades at Eastern Oval had forced them to move to Wendouree.
“If we receive funds of $3300, we have to carefully consider, do we stay a two-day meeting or go to a single-day?” he said.
“The reason we went to two days, was to get people in beds in motels and generate tourism dollars – that was the whole point of council assistance.”