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Groups and organisations supported by the Parish Council
Village
Hall Grants. Village Hall Management
Committees have be written to concerning the new policy for awarding grants to
village halls Other grants. Boxley Parish Council is happy to help parish organisations locate other grant sources and organisations are reminded that the Borough and County Councillors also have funds from which they can consider making grants (see Contacts/councillors page to see how to contact them). Maidstone Borough Council also has some excellent information on its website. So
far this year the Council has awarded grants to Boxley Village Society, Poppy
Appeal, Friends of Boxley Church, Girl Guides, Grove Green Community Hall, Kent
Scouts, Sandling Village Hall, Heart of Kent Hospice, Vinters Valley Park Trust,
Walderslade Woods Group, Kent Wildlife Trust and Museum of Kent Life. Boxley
Parish Council
Grants
Policy and Procedure
Policy
A
grant is any payment or gift made by the
Council to an organisation for a specific purpose.
The law requires that Section 137 grants must
be in the interests of or will directly benefit the area or its inhabitants,
or of part of it, or of some of it and the direct benefit should be
commensurate with expenditure. Similar
considerations will apply when considering applications for other grants. At the Finance Committee meeting
in January an amount will be set from which grants will be allocated during the
following financial year. Once
the Grants budget is exhausted, the parish council will only consider emergency
requests for assistance, and generally only from organisations with which
it has close links.
Application Procedure
Organisations
requesting financial assistance will be requested to submit: ·
A completed application form. ·
Copies of their last year end accounts. ·
If possible, the number, or percentage, of
members that belong to the organisation and live within Boxley Parish. ·
Details of any restrictions placed on who can
use/access their services. ·
Confirmation (on the application form) that it
agrees with the PCs Equal Opportunities Policy or give
details of their own policy. Organisations
will normally be expected to have clear written aims and objectives, a written
constitution and a separate bank account. For
grant requests for projects costing over £3,000 the Parish Council will
require that the organisation has robust tendering
regulations, e.g. obtaining a minimum of three tenders. The Parish Council
reserves the right to request proof of the tender process. Projects
notified to the Parish Council in advance and included in the Parish Councils
budget documents will only have the funds released on completion of the work.
Whilst Boxley Parish Council would not normally
consider applications for Capital Projects, any such applications will require a
more substantial case with supporting evidence of the community benefit. Applications
will not be considered from: ·
Individuals. ·
A political party. ·
Private organisations operated as a business. ·
Upward funders i.e. local groups where fund-raising is
sent to a central HQ for redistribution. Assessment Procedure
A grant request, once received in writing, will be
considered at the next meeting of the Finance Committee.
Each
application will be assessed on its own merits.
However, to ensure as fair a distribution as possible of available funds,
the Council will take into account the amount and frequency of any previous
awards. Due account may also be
taken of the extent to which funding has been sought or secured from other
sources or fund raising activities. (The Clerk can advise on alternative funding
sources). Successful
Applications Organisations receiving grants
are required to advise their users/members that the
grant or equipment had been received from Boxley Parish Council.
Where possible, the Council will affix an appropriate label. Where equipment is gifted
to an organisation, the parish council
requires that it be insured and maintained at the expense of the user. Ref
Policy/Grants02 Adopted Boxley Parish Council Grant Application Form. Please complete or attach the relevant information and send
Boxley Parish Council, Beechen Hall, Wildfell Close, Application from
Please state or attach an explanation on the amount of
grant requested, why you are applying for a grant and the potential benefits for
the residents of the parish. If possible include the number or percentage of
members that belong to the organisation and live within Boxley Parish. Have you included a copy of the last year end accounts?
YES/NO Are there any restrictions placed on who can use/access the services. YES/NO. Please supply details of any restrictions. This application will not be accepted unless the
organisations Equal Opportunities Policy of the organisation is attached or the
following (which is the Parish Councils equal opportunities statement) is
signed as an acceptance of the principles. No service user,
employee or job applicant will be discriminated against or receive less
favourable treatment on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or national
origin, disability, marital status, family commitments, sexual orientation, age,
chronic medical condition, religious or political beliefs, social class or trade
union activity. Signed
..
date
.. Statement of understanding. I have read and understood the Boxley Parish Council Grants Policy and Procedure information. and if a grant is awarded the organisation agrees to abide by the conditions outlined. Signed
date
.. Position in
organisation
Ref. Policy/grants application form
Village/Community
Hall Grants Procedure/Policy In
order to work prudently, obtain best value and to be a responsible grant
provider Boxley Parish Councils Estates Committee is setting a standard for
considering and awarding grants to Village/Community Halls.
Whilst the Parish Council wishes to continue to actively support the
Village/Community Halls within the
Parish it feels that it is essential to require applicants to meet a minimum
standard covering project planning and supply of information.
By undertaking this work the Parish Council can plan with Village/Community
Halls adequate funding in advance of the project being committed too. Policy A
grant is any payment or gift made by the
Council to an organisation for a specific purpose.
The law requires that Section 137 grants must
be in the interests of or will directly benefit the area or its inhabitants,
or of part of it, or of some of it and the direct benefit should be
commensurate with expenditure. Similar considerations will apply when
considering applications for other grants. Boxley Parish Council policy is that ·
Grants for maintenance will only be considered in exceptional
circumstances as it considers that the day to day maintenance of the hall should
be covered by the hire fees or fund raising. ·
Village/Community
Hall Management Committees will be required to show, for large scale projects
costing over £3,000 that it is applying for funding from other sources; has
undertaken fund raising events or has been saving towards the project. The
Parish Council will be happy to assist the Committee to identify other funding
sources. ·
The Parish Council will only award up to 80% of the cost for
essential repairs or renewals (e.g. windows, fire doors etc). ·
For projects costing over £3,000 the Parish Council would
require the Management Committee to obtain 3 tenders, for projects over £6,000
5 tenders. The Parish Council reserves the right to request proof of the tender
process. ·
VH Management Committees will be required to liaise closely
with the Parish Office so where possible the Parish Council can order the work
and gift it to the Village Hall which will enable VAT to be reclaimed. This will
increase the value of the grant given to the hall by the rate of VAT. ·
Unless a schedule of payments has been agreed in advance by
the Parish Council funds will only be released on completion of the work ·
Capital projects to expand the business by major capital work
will not normally be considered by the Parish Council. The
Parish Council recognises that most halls are run by volunteers and will be
happy to assist/advise VHMCs on how to meet these standards. At
The Estates Committee meeting in October or December the Committee will consider
individual grant requests from Village/Community Hall Management Committees for
specific projects in the following financial year so that provision can be made
in the budget recommendation to the Parish Council. An
additional budget will also be identified from which other grant requests will
be allocated in the current financial year. A maximum award of £500 for such
unplanned applications will only be considered. Once the additional budget is
exhausted only emergency requests for assistance, and generally only from
organisations that the Parish Council has Custodial Trustee status, will be
considered. All
organisations requesting assistance will be required to complete an application
form which will include notification of the Parish Councils Equal
Opportunities Policy. Village/Community
Hall Management Committees will have to sign that it agrees with the policy or
submit details of their own policy. Management Committees should also agree to
representatives of the Council being given the right to inspect the work on
completion. Application
Procedure Organisations requesting financial assistance will be
requested to submit: ·
A
completed application form. ·
Copies
of their last year end accounts. ·
Copy
of current hire fees with an explanation of any unusual agreements where a group
pays less than normal. ·
Details
of any restrictions placed on who can hire the hall. A
grant request, once received in writing, will be considered at the next meeting
of the Estates Committee and the Estates Committee reserve the right to inspect
the required work before a grant is agreed. Each
application will be assessed on its own merits.
However, to ensure as fair a distribution as possible of available funds,
the Council will take into account the amount and frequency of any previous
awards. Due account may also be
taken of the extent to which funding has been sought or secured from other
sources or fund raising activities. Successful Applications Organisations
receiving grants are required to advise their
users/members that the grant or equipment had been received from Boxley Parish
Council. Where
equipment is gifted to an organisation,
the parish council requires that it be insured and maintained at the expense of
the user. GrantVH01.
Boxley Parish Council Village Hall Grant
Application Form Please
complete or attach the relevant information and send Boxley Parish Council,
Beechen Hall, Wildfell Close, Application
from
Please
state or attach an explanation on the amount of grant requested, why you are
applying for a grant and the potential benefits for the residents of the parish.
If possible include the number or percentage of members that belong to the
organisation and live within Boxley Parish. Have
you attached details of the grant requests to other external sources or fund
raising activities undertaken?
YES/NO Are
you aware whether you have been successful?
YES/NO Have
you included a copy of the last year end accounts?
YES/NO Have
you supplied a copy of your hire fees?
YES/NO Are
there any restrictions placed on who can use/access the services. YES/NO Please
supply details of any restrictions. This
application will not be accepted unless the organisations Equal Opportunities
Policy of the organisation is attached or the following (which is the Parish
Councils equal opportunities statement) is signed as an acceptance of the
principles. No
service user, employee or job applicant will be discriminated against or receive
less favourable treatment on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic or national
origin, disability, marital status, family commitments, sexual orientation, age,
chronic medical condition, religious or political beliefs, social class or trade
union activity. Signed
date
Statement of understanding. I have read and understood the Boxley
Parish Council Grants Policy and Procedure information. and if a grant is
awarded the organisation agrees to abide by the conditions outlined. Signed
date
Position
in
organisation
..
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