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Issue - meetings

Westhive - future hosting options

 

 

Meeting: 17/12/2025 - Executive (Item 438)

438 Westhive - future hosting options pdf icon PDF 331 KB

Purpose:

To provide an update on the progress of the Westhive scheme to date and to set out the options for future delivery.

 

Recommendation(s):

That the Executive resolves to:

1.    Enter into an agreement with Crowdfunder UK for a 3-year period to provide a funding platform.

2.    Consider as part of the 2026/27 budget setting process making provision for platform hosting fees of £27,600 per year for a 3-year period.

3.    Delegate the responsibility of working through the procurement of a new multi-year contract to the Director of Place in consultation with the Executive Member for Finance and the Executive Member for Stronger Healthy Communities.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor Rachel Crouch, Executive Member for Stronger, Healthy Communities, presented the item, the purpose of which was to provide an update on the progress of the Westhive scheme to date and to set out the options for future delivery.

 

In her presentation Councillor Crouch made the following points:

 

  • The value of projects supported through Westhive to date totalled £948,172 over four rounds of funding. The fifth round of funding had recently been concluded with a further ten projects and totalled £124,649.
  • The contract with the current provider, Spacehive, was due to end in April 2026.
  • Alternative fund distribution options had been considered in the report.
  • The annual fee payable by the Council to Spacehive was £30,000 and this had increased. The Spacehive business model also included a 7.5% fee paid by project creators.
  • Four alternative options for future delivery had been considered in the report, and the favoured option was through Crowdfunder UK. This was due to the fee to the Council being less and there being no fee payable by project creators, which was a key consideration.
  • Crowdfunder UK was one of the leading fundraising platforms in the UK and was already active in Oxfordshire with many successful partnerships.   

 

Councillor Crouch proposed accepting the recommendations of the report and noted that this would lead to increased community engagement.

 

Councillor Andy Graham, Leader of the Council, seconded the proposal and noted that half of the funds raised to date were from the communities themselves. The remodelling of the provision would further enhance the value to communities due to the removal of the charge on the project creators.

 

This was voted on and approved unanimously.

 

RESOLVED:

that the Executive:

  1. Enter into an agreement with Crowdfunder UK for a 3-year period to provide a funding platform.
  2. Agreed as part of the 2026/27 budget setting process making provision for platform hosting fees of £27,600 per year for a 3- year period.
  3. Delegated the responsibility of working through the procurement of a new multi-year contract to the Director of Place, in consultation with the Executive Member for Finance and the Executive Member for Stronger Healthy Communities.

 

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