Purpose of the scheme
1.1 The purpose of this document is to determine eligibility for a payment under the Council’s REPF Grants Scheme.
1.2 The new REPF Grant Scheme has been developed by the Council to support businesses with projects that provide a benefit to the local community or economy.
1.3 The awarding of grants will be at the total discretion of the Council, based on the benefits delivered for the grant awarded, supporting Council priorities, and wider business and local economy aims.
1.4 This document sets out the information which the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) have required to be submitted for funding from the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) Grant, the funding allocation the Council will be using to make the awards. It also outlines the approach the Council will take in determining whether an award should be paid or not.
1.5 The general principals of the scheme are:
- Flexibility; to target grants towards business proposals that provide the greatest benefit to the local economy or community;
- Efficiency; to issue grants as quickly as possible whilst meeting democratic, eligibility and technical requirements;
- Simplicity; the application process will be based on the philosophy of self-assessment and be as streamlined as possible;
- Economic Benefit; grant award levels shall be set to make a difference to those projects, such that the most economic advantage is provided from the REPF grant programme.
- Fraud; the process will capture evidence such as certified accounts/HMRC self-assessments and bank statements that can be used to identify fraudulent applications. A self-declaration that the information provided is a true reflection of the facts, will also be required. The Council will also be applying post application checks as well as sharing data with Central Government and across other grant schemes as necessary.