GRANTS FROM THE PARISH COUNCIL
Parish councils have various powers given by Acts of parliament to provide funding, equipment and premises, to help others provide services.
The ability to make such grants is strictly determined by law, both in terms of the organisations which can receive them, and also the amounts of grants that may be given.
In particular, parish councils are permitted to make small grants to organisations which benefit the local population in some way or another. This is permissible under Section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972. There is a low ceiling on such grants, based upon the number of electors, and the monies are funded directly from the Council Tax, via the Parish Precept, so this is your money that we are talking about. There is no other external source of funding available, apart from the Council Tax.
The Council is aware of its duty to spend public money carefully, to achieve the maximum benefit to the residents of Mawnan, and is therefore keen to ensure that this money is targeted at the organisations most in need. The Parish Council gives priority to groups and organisations which directly benefit the parish and its residents.
If you are a member of a group which wishes to be considered for a grant from the Parish Council for a particular project or activity, then contact the Clerk to the Council, in the first instance.
Your “project” may be a one-off purchase of equipment (e.g. insurance premium, special equipment used by your group, books etc), the cost of providing a service (e.g. lunch for village pensioners), or the cost of a section of your running costs (e.g. the cost of room hire for the year). The council reserves the right to seek verification that any donation has been used correctly. It may not be possible for the Council to cover the total cost of each project. A contribution towards the total may be made.
Finally, a modest grant from the Parish Council may help an organisation secure further finance from other sources, such as the lottery or the European Union, via a process called "Matched Funding".
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