The Town Council can only award grants using certain legal powers. Where there is no statutory power specific to the activity of the grant application, the Council can use Section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972 to give grants to community associations. Other powers including section 11, and CIL will need to be specified.
This power can only be used if it will benefit some or all of its residents or some or all of the area and where the benefit obtained is commensurate with the expenditure incurred.
The critical words are ‘some or all’ – in both cases. This means that the Town Council cannot award grants to individuals and cannot award grants where the activity would not obviously benefit the Andover parish area – however worthy the project might be.
Grants must meet the Town Council’s grant criteria which are set out below and applications must be made on the Town Council’s application form. Application forms Must be filled out online, however, applicants are encouraged to request advice from the Town Council Offices, please call: 01264 335592 or email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
All applications must be accompanied by appropriate accounts or supporting financial information.
Terms and Conditions
1. The amount of the grant awarded will be at the discretion of the Town Council.
2. All projects must acknowledge Andover Town Council’s financial contribution
3. Grants will only be awarded for specific costs.
4. No funding will be available to contribute to a surplus for a charitable contribution or to increase an organisation’s reserves.
5. Grants will be awarded to voluntary groups and societies, clubs, not-for-profit organisations, charities operating in the Andover area where the benefit will be for this area alone.
6. Grants will not be awarded to individuals or to regional or national charities unless it is for a specific project in the Andover area where there will be an obvious benefit to the Council’s area.
7. The purpose for which the grant is made must be in the interest of the Andover area or any part of it or all or some of the inhabitants of the Andover area which is defined by the boundaries of the Town Council. The benefit to the area must be commensurate with the expenditure.
8. Grants will only be awarded for ‘one off’ costs.
9. No grant will be awarded to or for any commercial venture or private gain
10. Retrospective applications will not be funded, where the expenditure has been made, the project has been carried out, or the event has taken place.
11. All grants will be conditional upon submission of audited accounts and supporting documentation detailing costs of capital expenditure, project or events for which the funding is being sought.
12. All grant recipients are required to provide the Town Council with a brief report, including photographs, of how the grant has been used, how it has assisted the organisation or group and what it has achieved. This must be submitted within two months of the purchase of the capital equipment or completion of the project.
13. If the grant is put to other purposes other than those for which it was awarded, without the prior consent of the Town Council, the recipient or organisation will be required to repay the grant, in full, to the Town Council.
14. The organisation or group should supply information that the Town Council requests regarding the impact of the project on the Town Council’s area.
15. Recognition of the grant from Andover Town Council must be made in any publicity.
16. The Maximum to be awarded 75% of the total value of the application.
17. No application can be made for the same items two years in a row.