Village Improvement Funding 2024-25

The aim is to enable Councillors to work closely with communities to identify and develop village improvements within their Ward, encouraging more village choice.  Members are asked to consult with residents and community groups on projects, which will be of benefit to their villages.

The Parish Council has allocated funding of up to £500 per Councillor.  Councillors in the same ward are able to put their funding together and are encouraged to do so, but are not obliged to do this.

In terms of projects, the only restriction is that it must be something, which the Council can legally fund.  However, Councillors should ensure that groups not previously in receipt of Parish Council funding have the correct management procedures in place. 

How to apply

Councillors are requested to complete a Project Form, giving full details of the project, how it works, how it will benefit the village and what the costs are.   If community groups complete the form, they are required to obtain the Councillor/s’ consent before submitting it to the Council.

For applications of up to £1,000 at least one quote must be provided.

Applications of £1,001 and above should be accompanied by 2 – 3 quotes.

In the event the expenditure is for something for which it is not possible to obtain quotes, the application will be accepted as it stands.

If the costs of the project are higher than the Village Improvement Funding available, the report will need to identify where the additional funding will be sourced.

Process

The form and quote/s will go to the Grants & Community Projects Committee for consideration and recommendations will be sent to the Council for a final decision. 

The deadline dates for submitting applications are:

7 July 2023, 27 October 2023 and 2 February 2024. 

If applications are not received in time or are incomplete, they will go to the following meeting (if there is one).

What happens next?

If the project is being done in conjunction with a community group, funding will be paid to the group when the Council has taken the final decision.  If the application is made by Councillor/s it will become a Parish Council project, and the staff will organise the work, instruct the contractors, check risk assessments / PLI cover, make purchases, etc in accordance with procedures and Financial Regulations.   Councillors are, of course, able to help with the practicalities.

Afterwards

If the funding has been paid out to community groups, they need to return the slip in the first instance to confirm that the funding has been received.  When the project is complete they will be required to provide copies of invoices to show how the money has been spent.  Any underspend will need to be repaid to the Council.