Community Council Grants

Introduction

Each Community Council has an annual Community Council Grant available to it, made up of (a) an Administrative Grant of £500 and (b) a Project Grant, which varies from year to year and according to the population of a Community Council Area. 

This is set out in the Inverclyde Council Scheme of Funding for Community Councils (the Funding Scheme) approved on 11 August 2020 and updated on 7 December 2023. This page is a summary of the Funding Scheme.

The table below has an example of how the Community Council Grant is calculated, and the Council’s Community Council Liaison Officer (CCLO) can also provide information and guidance.

The CCLO can be contact using the details in the contacts section of this page. 

Community Councils should note they may also be able to apply for other forms of grant funding both from the Council and from other funding providers. 

The Inverclyde Council Scheme of Funding for Community Councils and a downloadable version of the guidance on this page can be downloaded from the documents section of this page.

Administrative Grant

Administrative Grant can only be used to meet reasonable and appropriate operational and administration costs, examples of which are:

  • Insurance
  • Auditors' fees
  • Production and circulation of Minutes, agenda and annual reports
  • Maintaining a website
  • Stationery
  • Photocopying
  • Postage
  • Travel costs
  • Telephone costs
  • Accommodation lets
  • Affiliation fees
  • Subscriptions
  • Bank charges
  • Advertising
  • General Publicity and promotional activities.
  • Consultation with the community.

A Community Council can carry forward unspent sums at the Year End as explained further at the end of this guide.

Project Grant

The Project Grant enables a Community Council to fund projects within its community which, having regard to any guidance issued by the Council, it feels are likely to advance, promote or improve the well-being of any part of its Community Council Area or anyone living in that area.

There are a wide range of possible projects that could be undertaken, examples of which include:

  • Funding installation of a community defibrillator;
  • Organising a community “litter pick”;
  • Organising seasonal community events; or
  • Pursuing or participating in a community asset transfer.

These are only examples however, and the Project Grant could be used for a wide variety and scale of imaginative community led projects.

Depending on the nature of the project, Community Councils should take into account any future funding it might need, for example ongoing maintenance and running costs, as well as the any initial costs of setting up the project.

A Community Council can, if it wishes, use the Project Grant for operational and administrative costs in the same way as their Administrative Grant.

A Community Council can carry forward unspent balances at the Year End as is explained further at the end of this guide.

Example Grant Calculation

As stated above, the Community Council Grant varies from year. The following table sets out an example of the grant calculation under the Funding Scheme and based on the 2023/24 budget.

Community Council  Population Community Council Grant
    Admin Project Total
Gourock 8,676 £500.00 £1,244.99 £1,744.99
Greenock Central 9,702 £500.00 £1,392.22 £1,892.22
Greenock East 9,058 £500.00 £1,299.81 £1,799.81
Greenock Southwest 5,901 £500.00 £846.78 £1,346.78
Greenock West & Cardwell Bay 9,024 £500.00 £1,294.93 £1,794.93
Holefarm & Cowdenknowes 2,018 £500.00 £289.58 £789.58
Inverkip & Wemyss Bay  6,117 £500.00 £877.78 £1,377.78
Kilmacolm & Quarrier's Village 5,200 £500.00 £746.19 £1,246.19
Larkfield, Braeside & Branchton 6,775 £500.00 £972.20 £1,472.20
Port Glasgow East 7,821 £500.00 £1,122.30 £1,622.30
Port Glasgow West 6,410 £500.00 £919.82 £1,419.82
Total  76,702 £5,500.00 £11,006.59 £16,506.59


Getting the Grant

A Community Council should send a request for release of the Community Council Grant for a given Grant Year to CCLO, and provide the following:

  1. the Community Council’s finalised Annual Accounts for the previous Grant Year (complying with the Scheme and any guidance in force at the time);
  2. minutes for at least 6 ordinary meetings of the Community Council in the Previous Grant Year;
  3. the minute of the Annual General Meeting of the Community Council in the Previous Grant Year;
  4. the minute of the Annual General Meeting of the Community Council in the Grant Year showing the Annual Accounts as being approved;
  5. a copy of a current bank statement for the  Community Council’s bank account tying in with the year end balance in terms of the Annual Accounts; and
  6. satisfactory responses to any queries raised by the CCLO in respect of any of items 1 to 5 above.

If a Community Council has not provided all of the above by the end of the Grant Year, then that Community Council will no longer be entitled to the Community Council Grant for that Grant Year. Unclaimed Grant will not be carried forward from one Financial Year to the next.

If the balance of Community Council Grant funding held by a Community Council as at 31 March is more that the total the following figure:

Administrative Grant + (4 x Project Grant)

the Community Council Grant available to the Community Council in the following Grant Year will be reduced accordingly.

Any Administrative Grant carried forward to subsequent years will thereafter be treated as Project Grant.

The CCLO can be contacted for information and guidance on the above.