Chedworth Parish Council – Requests for Funding

Chedworth Parish Council can provide financial support for certain projects within the community. The vast majority of the parish council’s money comes from the precept which is claimed on our behalf by Cotswold District Council as part of residents’ council tax bills. As we are dealing with tax payers money we can only support projects which have proper governance.

Where projects are likely to require significant sums (those over £250), they will need to be included in our budget in January for the following financial year and therefore the early indication of requests for financial support should be provided in December for consideration at this time.

 

Financial support will be prioritised to projects which meet with the Parish Council’s priorities. These are:

• Supporting facilities which benefit the whole community such as the village hall, public benches, notice boards and the like.
• Encouraging the whole community to be fit, active and safe which includes projects such as the fitness equipment, up-keep of the defibrillators and the like.
• Maintaining open and clear access of the footpath network within the parish (Note the PC will not fund works which the landowners have legal responsibility for)
• Improving and maintaining the condition and biodiversity of the parish council land and verges within the parish.
• Maintaining and improving the Cotswold Stone walls within the parish. (Note the PC will not provide funding to repair stone walls on private land)

Any project must demonstrate that it is:

• Of benefit to the whole community within the parish. Projects which are by their nature providing broad community benefit are more likely to be successful.
• Not able to gain all of its funding from other sources of support including national and local funding sources including the lottery funders, the ANOB, CDC and other local trusts both within Chedworth and the wider area.
• Does not already receive money from tax payers to undertake the outcomes of the project as this could be considered as double taxation. (i.e. the school can not apply for activities which it is funded for from the local authority nor can highways repairs be funded as these should be covered by the highway authority).

 

In making a final application to the parish council for support a project must provide the following evidence:

• A project outline (All Applications)             

This should describe the specific nature of the project, its aims and objectives. Note the Parish Council will only support specific projects with outcomes. Applications for general and undefined support such as donations towards a group will not be successful.

 

• Key Beneficiaries (All Applications)

This should identify who will benefit from the completion of the project and must demonstrate that the major beneficiaries will be a broad section of the residents within the parish.

 

• Project Costs (All Applications)

All applications must show that they have complied with procurement policies and typically this will require three competitive like for like quotations to be supplied.

The application must show where the total project costs are expected to be provided from, so if the application is for only part of the total project costs the funding strategy must be outlined for the remaining balance. In larger on going projects an outline for funding for the whole master plan should be provided.

The costs must include for all elements including permissions, VAT, fees and the like. Where VAT is not considered to be relevant a clear justification of that must be provided.

An analysis of alternative funding sources considered must be provided in order to demonstrate the need for Parish Council support.

 

• Project Programme (Applications over £500 only)

The programme for the completion of the works and when the funding will be required should be provided. This should include all periods of obtaining permissions, other funding and internal authorisations and the like.

 

• Risk Register (Applications over £500 only)

The key risks to the project should be outlined together with an assessment of the impact of the risk and the mitigation actions that will be put in place.

 

• Project Team (All Applications)

The team involved in the project should be named together with their relevant experience in managing a project of the nature proposed. This should include voluntary and professional consultants.

The governance procedure for the project should also be outlined to demonstrate who will be managing the project and the escalation procedures in the event of any issues.

 

• Legal and Insurance (Where relevant to the proposal)

Details of all the necessary permissions should be provided whether obtained or yet to be obtained.

The proposal for the form of contract to be used should be specified

The arrangements for the insurance of the project both during implementation and on-going should be detailed.