Archived decisions

Contact: [email protected] tel (01962) 847339

1. Introduction

1.1. At its first meeting the Committee endorsed draft guidelines for organisations seeking financial assistance, noting that a little more work was necessary to ensure compliance with the One Compact for Hampshire and its funding Code of Practice to which the County Council is committed. The updated draft guidelines are attached and are recommended for approval.

2. The Guidelines

2.1. As indicated above, no major changes to the original guidelines were necessary. In brief, the guidelines now additionally identify what the Committee's overall budget for all its activities is (members having not yet considered financial demands beyond grant aid); explicitly make an equalities commitment; and give clarification in relation to "one-off" and ongoing revenue expenditure to reflect Compact expectations.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the guidelines appended to the report be approved.

DRAFT

Havant Area Committee - Financial Assistance - Guidelines

Set up in September 2004 on a trial basis for a year, Hampshire County Council's Area Committee for Havant has a fund of £100,000 to assist Havant based community projects. Some of this fund will be available as grant aid for local voluntary and community organisations and some may be used to support local partnership projects. This document sets out the criteria for applying for grant aid and the process by which the County Council will make decisions.

The County Council is committed to the principles of the One Compact for Hampshire and the Code of Practice for Funding ( Resourcing and Accountability) (copies available at www.hants.gov.uk/compact ) and to ensuring that grants are allocated in an open and consistent manner.

Criteria for grant applications:

Applications must be made by the organisation seeking grant aid. Applications may be submitted direct to Havant County Councillors (listed below) or to the County Council's Chief Executive. Application forms are available from Louise Pickford, c/o Chief Executive's, The Castle, Winchester SO23 8UJ (tel: (01962) 847356) or e-mail: [email protected]

Decisions on funding will be made by the Havant Area Committee at their meetings which are held in public. The times and venues of these meetings will be published.

· The project must support the aims and objectives of the Local Community Strategy for Havant and the County Council's Corporate Strategy. The County Council has also identified priorities for actions to support:

o The reduction of crime, support for young people and tackling deprivation

o The promotion of education and skills development

o The promotion of independence for older people

· The project must be of benefit to the Havant Community, namely for the benefit of communities in one or more of the following County Electoral Divisions which, together, cover the area of the Borough of Havant:

· The organisation applying for funds should be a `not for profit' organisation or a registered charity.

· Where possible the project should encourage self-help within organisations and grants would normally be a percentage of the sum required to complete the project with matching funding from other sources.

· All applications must say whether funds are also being sought from and/or have been obtained from other sources including other parts of the County Council - either through grant aid, in kind or as a contractor.

· Preference will be given to applications for one-off funding for specific projects over applications for support towards general running costs of organisations or projects with on-going revenue implications such as salaries. Any applications for revenue support must state how the on-going costs will be met. The County Council concurs with the Association of Chief Executive's of Voluntary Organisations' approach for calculating the full cost of activities and will consider applications for funding on this basis, however, this does not guarantee that funding will cover full cost and the final decision will still be based on the priority and affordability of the activity for which funding is sought compared with other applications.

· Additional financial information may be requested from organisations seeking grants over £2000.

· The County Council has a duty to promote equality of opportunity for all and organisations receiving grant aid will need to be committed to being socially inclusive. As agreed through the Compact the application form for grants will seek to establish the likely beneficiaries of grant aid and grants exceeding £2000 will require a written statement confirming the use to which it was put.

· Conditions may be attached to any grant if considered appropriate, eg making available a facility/equipment for community use when not in use by the owning organisation.

· Where financial support is sought towards a facility which is used by others, such as a hall or minibus, details should be given of the extent of that use in percentage terms and to what extent charges are made.

· It is a requirement that whenever a grant is made acknowledgement of the support given is made by using the County Council's logotype in publicity material where appropriate. Details can be found on the County Council's website at www.hants.gov.uk/logos

· Grant aid will not normally be given to :
- The Borough Council (as it is a precepting body)
- Schools (exceptions might include special schools)
- Bodies requesting funds for onward distribution to charities, eg mayoral
appeals, carnivals, fetes.