General Grants Policy
The Parish Council can only award Grants using certain legal powers. Where there is no statutory
power the Parish Council may use Section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972 to give grants
to community organisations. This power may only be used if its use will benefit some or all of its
residents or some or all of the area where the benefit obtained is commensurate with expenditure
incurred.
This means that grants cannot be given to individuals. Grants will be considered by the Finance
Committee who will make recommendations to the Parish Council. Grant applications must meet
the grant criteria below:
1. Applications must be made on the attached form together with your latest annual audited Year End accounts.
2. All applications will be considered on their merits but in general, grants will be awarded for
specific projects or events.
3. The purpose for which the grant is made must be in the interest of Awsworth.
4. The Parish Council will consider any previous grant made to an organisation or Group when
considering a new application.
5. The amount of the grant will be at the discretion of the Parish Council.
6. Retrospective applications will not be funded where the expenditure has been made, the
project has been carried out or the event has taken place.
7. Payments for grants will not be made to any individuals.
8. All grant payments will be conditional upon submission of audited accounts, supporting documentation or invoices/receipts detailing costs of expenditure for projects or events for which the funding is being sought. These must be addressed to the Parish Clerk and dated after the date of approval. Cheques/payments will not be made out to an individual.
9. All grant recipients are required to provide the Parish Council with a brief report, including photographs (if applicable) of how the grant has been utilised, how it has assisted the organisation and what it has achieved. This may appear in the local paper, social media and or on our website.
10. Recognition of the grant from Awsworth Parish Council must be made in any publicity.
11. If the grant is put to purposes other than those for which it was awarded without the prior approval of the Parish Council, you will be required to repay the grant to the Parish Council.
How will the application be assessed?
1. How well the grant will meet the needs of the community, providing positive benefit to the inhabitants.
2. How effectively the group will use the grant.
3. Whether the costs are appropriate and realistic.
4. What level of contributions has been, or will be raised in addition to the grant?
General
1. The deadline for receipt of applications is 31st October.
2. Grant applications will be considered by the Finance Committee who will make recommendations to the Full Parish Council.
3. Each application will be assessed on its own merits and will be considered along with other applications at the meeting. To ensure as fair a distribution as possible, the Finance Committee will consider the amount and frequency of previous awards.
Conditions of Funding
1. The Parish Council will only give to projects specifically designed to benefit Awsworth and its residents.
2. Applications will not be considered from any organisation intending to support any political party or to discriminate on the grounds of race or religion.
3. Only one grant will be considered for an organisation during the year unless there are exceptional circumstances.
4. The Parish Council reserves the right to refuse any grant application which they consider to be inappropriate or against the objectives of the Parish Council.
5. Grant cheques will only be issued upon presentation of a Group’s current account details.