Do you have any bright ideas to improve your neighbourhood or know of a project in your area that needs some financial help? Local Community Budgets can lend a hand and provide a grant to support a community project, organisation, charity or local group to benefit the communities they represent.

Stevenage Borough Council’s Members continue to work with local communities to identify issues, to plan, assist and develop solutions and to assist have introduced a community budget.  Each Councillor has a personal budget of £3,300, a total of £128,700 available across the town to help improve and deliver local priorities and create a better place to live.  Have a say where this money is spent.

The Local Community Budget can be used for a contribution to a local fun day, to make environmental changes in order to create better neighbourhoods or to purchase equipment or match funding for a larger scheme or activity.

If you would like to find out if your project/activity can be supported by a Local Community Budget talk to your local Councillor before completing an application form, Councillor details can be found via 'useful links' on the right.

Due to the elections during May no applications will be processed between 20 March and 4 May 2012.

Evaluation of Local Community Budget Grants

If a grant is awarded you will be expected to provide a brief evaluation showing how the grant was used. A copy of the form is available for downloading on the right. All evaluations should be emailed to local to localcommunitybudgets@stevenage.gov.uk.

If you require more information on Local Community Budgets please contact us using the details on the right.

Funding requests

Questions and answers

Where can I get an application form?
Application forms are available for downloading using the link on the right or a copy can be requested from your Local Ward Councillor.

Who can receive a grant?
Grants can be requested and received by a community project, organisation, charity or local group with a recognised legal status or an unincorporated association with its own bank account.  If an organisation does not have a bank account the application will not be considered.

Can I apply as an individual?
Payments directly to individuals cannot be made, but can be requested and all payments must be paid through an organisation, community project, charity or local group which supports individuals.

How do I apply?
Fill in the application form and return it to your Ward Councillor.  The form is available available for downloading using the link on the right or you can telephone your local Councillor to request an application form.

How much money can I apply for?
The maximum grant you can apply for is £3,300 there is no minimum grant.

How long will it take for my application to be considered?
We will try and give you a decision on your application within 4 weeks of receiving it.

What sort of things will the local community budget fund?
A grant can be for running costs for your project/activity or to purchase equipment but cannot lead to ongoing expenditure.

My Project/Activity is already running – Can I apply for a Grant?
Yes, if there are still activities which require funding – but not once a project is no longer running.

My project is for people in the Councillors Ward but the activity isn’t based in the area can I still apply for a grant?
Yes funding can be awarded to a project/activity that isn’t based in the Ward providing you can demonstrate that people of the area will benefit.

Can I make a request each year?
Yes a request can be made each year – funding will be awarded on a one off basis and will not continue into the next financial year.

Can a local community budget be used to pay for a Council or County Council Service?
Yes as long as it does not go against a policy decision of the Council.

If a grant is awarded do I need to keep records?
Yes you will be required to retain evidence of your expenditure for audit purposes including invoices and receipts.