Councillor Ward Budgets Scheme

The purpose of the Scheme is to provide funding for locally focussed community projects and initiatives that aim to improve outcomes for residents of those wards, as well as contributing to the delivery of the Council Strategy.

All Councillors should take a central role in identifying and delivering improvements to the quality of life of people in their local communities. Councillors are expected to be active in consulting with the community, identifying local needs and working with the communities to identify how best to achieve these needs.

Each Councillor will be allocated a budget of £10,000 to:

• increase levels of community capacity at a very local level.
• allow flexible and timely funding of very small initiatives within communities.
• enable communities to help themselves.
• enhance the social, economic or environmental wellbeing of the community.

Each Councillor is accountable for making decisions to allocate funding from their budget. The decisions must meet the criteria set out below.

It is the Councillor’s responsibility to:

• Make their constituents aware of the Scheme.
• Ensure the proposed project meets the application criteria.
• Ensure the application form is completed in full (missing information may slow the process).
• Ensure the necessary financial information is provided to enable payment to be made.
• Monitor and report that the funded projects and/or activities are delivered as agreed.

Councillors will be expected to ensure funded projects and activities are delivered as agreed by visiting/contacting the applicant after funding and ensuring a completed Project Evaluation Form is received.  It is the Councillors responsibility to ensure the Project has been completed within 12 months of the funding being received and in accordance with the schemes Terms and Conditions.

Any issues or concerns about the proper use of the funds should be reported to the Council’s Chief Financial Officer.

In the event there is a by-election for a district councillor, then the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Human Resources and Customer Services will consider and determine the application(s) until a new councillor is elected.

Any funds not awarded or allocated by 31 March 2026 will return to the Council’s general reserves, carry forwards are not permitted.

• An organisation can apply for a grant from £250 to a maximum of £5,000.
• For wards with more than one ward Councillor, applications may be considered by all ward Councillors together to determine funding, however the limits set out above will still apply (i.e a maximum of £5,000 in total).
• Only one application can be made per organisation, and therefore if the project requires funding from multiple Councillors, this must be on a single application form and signed and supported by all Councillors involved, and the total cannot exceed £5,000.

We would like to hear from non-profit, non-governmental, community and voluntary organisations whose primary purpose is to benefit the residents of Wealden. 

You might also like to visit our Community Grant Funding page on our website for other grant funding opportunities.

All applications must:

• demonstrate how their project supports at least one of the strategic aims of the Council Strategy.
• be located in the Ward that is being applied to or be of significant benefit to people living in the Ward.
• be willing to report back to the Council on how the grant was spent and how it has benefited the community.
• be completed within 12 months of the award decision.

All payments must be made by BACs to an account in the name of the organisation making the grant application, they cannot be paid into a personal/individuals account.

The 2025/26 programme opens 1^st August 2025 and closes 31^st March 2026, funds will be allocated on a first come first served basis providing they are agreed by the Ward Councillor, so applicants are encouraged to submit applications early.

While we expect most projects to occur in the Ward applied to, there may be some instances where the project is based outside the Ward but benefits the community of the Ward applied to directly.

Funding is not guaranteed until all checks have been completed, and funding will not be released until the checks have been completed in full.

• Retrospective costs e.g. to replace money already spent, or to cover items, services or events that have already been purchased or occurred.
• Regular, recurring costs such as salaries.
• Recoverable VAT (if your organisation is VAT registered and able to reclaim VAT, we cannot fund the VAT element of your project costs).
• Finance charges including bank, finance or audit charges, loans and interest costs or endowments.
• Statutory obligations of the organisation.
• The grant cannot be used to match fund other grant schemes administered by Wealden District Council
• Contingency costs.
• Political activities, lobbying or campaigning.
• Projects that are contrary to the Equality Act 2010
• The purchase of alcohol, medication or drugs.
• Projects, initiatives and activities that directly promote a religious belief (this does not exclude applications from faith-based groups who want to deliver community-based projects that can clearly demonstrate a benefit to the wider community and include participation from the community).
• Teaching national curriculum subjects and/or learning-related activities contained in the annual School and Early Years Finance Regulations.
• Supporting any contentious matters or disputes.
• Activities causing reputational damage and conflicts of interest for the Council, including campaigns against the council or its statutory partners.
• Projects which could directly or indirectly have a negative impact on supporting the council to achieve its Council Strategy.

• Other local authorities/public sector bodies/parish and town councils (including NHS bodies)
• Schools
• Organisations that have received more than £10,000 from Wealden District Council in the previous two years
• Organisations who operate a grant scheme of their own or who budget for giving grants/donations in their annual budget.
• Groups who raise funds on behalf of, or whose project will mainly benefit, ineligible organisations (such as PTAs who directly support their school).
• Individuals (including making any payments to individuals on behalf of community groups or to support those seeking sponsorship for specific charity or fund-raising activities).
• For-profit entities, including private companies, sole proprietorships, and any organisation established with the primary goal of generating profit for distribution to its owners or shareholders
• Political, lobbying and campaigning groups.
• Nationwide organisations, unless there is a branch in the ward or District and the activity is solely for the benefit of that area and not further afield.
• The purchase of items to then be resold to generate income for a project (e.g. buying raffle prizes)

A record will be maintained of all decisions and individual grant decisions will be published on our website. A financial year end report on funding provided and the community impact will be compiled by officers and reported to the Scrutiny and Performance Committee and Full Council, and a summary report of the projects funded will also be included on the Council’s website.

The council is committed to promoting equality and diversity and welcomes applications from all sectors of the community, regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, age, status, religion, or belief. We encourage all applicants to make their projects inclusive and accessible to all. 

Consider how your application supports the Public Sector Equality Duty and provide as much supporting information as possible.

Councillors must act in accordance with the Nolan Principles of Public Life (Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and Leadership) in expending their allocated budget.

Should there be a dispute, it is the Portfolio Holder for Finance/Leader in consultation with the Chief Financial Officer’s decision and their decision is final in terms of deciding whether an application meets the criteria and funding should be awarded, there is no right of appeal.

Officers may request additional information, once the form is submitted to satisfy themselves that the relevant criteria has been met.

This guidance will be kept under review by the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Legal and Governance Officer.

Declarations of Interest and Members’ Code of Conduct

Councillors must carefully identify and manage any potential conflicts of interest when making decisions to allocate funding from their ward budgets.

The Members’ Code of Conduct applies when a Councillor is carrying out their official duties. This will include where a Councillor is making decisions in their capacity as ward member. 

Where a Councillor has an interest in the organisation that has submitted an application for funding, they must carefully consider the provisions within the Members’ Code of Conduct and any potential issues of bias and predetermination.

In the event that an elected ward member is prevented from participating in a decision on a proposal (and there is no other ward member who is able to fund the proposal), the application may be determined by the Leader or the Portfolio Holder for Finance, Human Resources and Customer Services.

Each Councillor should ensure their Register of Interests is kept up to date, including any Outside Body Interests.

Guidance for specific circumstances is available from the Monitoring Officer at monitoring.officer@wealden.gov.uk

Terms and Conditions of Funding

In these Terms and Conditions, the following definitions shall apply:

“Application”  means the application form submitted by the Recipient to the Council for the Grant

“Council”  means Wealden District Council

“Grant”  means the sum of money given to the Recipient by the  Council

“Project”  means the project identified in the Application

“Recipient” means the individual or organisation that submitted the Application to receive funding or support for the Project.

“Scheme”  means the Councillor Ward Fund Scheme

These terms and conditions are intended to ensure that the Grant is used for the purpose for which it is awarded. The Recipient in signing and submitting the Application is agreeing to observe and perform the Terms and Conditions set out below.

1. Payment and Use of Grant

1.1 The Recipient may only use the Grant for the delivery of the Project.

1.2 The Recipient must spend the Grant on the Project within 12 months of receipt of funding otherwise all funding received from the Council must (unless otherwise agreed in writing) be returned to the Council upon the expiration of the 12 month period.

2. Repayment of Grant

2.1    The Recipient agrees to return any unspent funding if the Project costs less than expected or if they receive additional funding towards the Project.

2.2   The Recipient will repay some or all of the Grant (as applicable) to the Council if:

a.       the Recipient uses the Grant for purposes other than the Project;

b.       the Project is not delivered;

c.       the Recipient provides the Council with any materially misleading or inaccurate information in relation to the Recipient or in the Application for the Project;

d.       any member of the governing body, employee or volunteer of the Recipient has (a) acted dishonestly or negligently at any time and directly or indirectly to the detriment of the Project or (b) taken any actions which, in the reasonable opinion of the Council, bring or are likely to bring the Council’s name or reputation into disrepute;

e.       the Grant funding is not, or ceases to be, in compliance with subsidies law; or

f.         the Recipient fails to comply with any of these Standard Terms and Conditions or as detailed in the applicable criteria and guidance.

2.3 The Recipient will (and shall procure that its employees, agents suppliers and contractors shall), comply in all respects with all applicable laws in relation to the carrying out of the Project, including (but not limited to) compliance with the Equality Act 2010, data protection legislation, all relevant requirements relating to health, safety and welfare at work; and if applicable, the safeguarding of vulnerable people and requirements to check with the Disclosure and Barring Service.

2.4 The Recipient may be required to confirm that the organisation has not received any Minimal Financial Assistance, in excess of (or which when taken together with this grant would exceed) £315,000 in the elapsed part of the current Financial Year and in the two Financial Years immediately preceding the current Financial Year. ‘Financial Year’ means a period of twelve (12) months ending with 31 March. Providing relevant evidence if subsidy has been paid.

3.  Monitoring and Audit

3.1 The Recipient will, if requested by the Council, provide all copies of supporting information (invoices, receipts etc) connected with the spending of the funds and ensure that all original documents relating to the Project and its implementation and financing are retained until six (6) years after the payment of the Grant.

3.2 If requested, the Recipient will provide such reasonable assistance to the relevant ward member that supported the Recipient’s Application with evidencing that the project was delivered and fulfilling any associated reporting requirements.

4. Limitation of Liability

4.1 The Recipient acknowledges the Council accepts no liability or responsibility whatsoever for any of the Projects funded by this Scheme or any activities that take place as a result now or in the future.

4.2 The Council accepts no liability for the delivery of the Project and/ or any consequences, whether direct or indirect, that may come about from the Recipient running the Project, the use of the Grant or from withdrawal or return of the Grant.

5. Publicity

5.1 The Recipient will acknowledge the Council’s support in any press, publicity or promotion of the Project.

5.2 The Recipient acknowledges and agrees the Council may use the Recipients name, details of the Project and any publicity material produced by the Recipient in relation to the Project in its own publicity materials. The Recipient shall notify the Council of any information provided to the Council as part of this that it considers to be commercially sensitive or confidential.

6. Miscellaneous

6.1  The Recipient shall be solely responsible for obtaining and maintaining all adequate public liability insurance, necessary consents, approvals, licences or permissions from any third parties that may be required in connection with the receipt, use or repayment of the Grant and to deliver the project outcomes as identified in the Application Form.

6.2   The Recipient agrees to notify the Council should their contact details and nominated representative change at any time.

If you have read the above guidance and Terms and Conditions and you would like to apply to the Councillor Ward Budgets Scheme, please follow the link to the application form on our website. 

You will need:

• Details of the organisation you are applying on behalf of (including a business bank account details)
• Details about your project (including start date, estimated completion date, the Wealden ward(s) it falls within, the total cost of your project and how much you are applying to the Scheme for). 

The application and award process is outlined below: 

• 1 August 2025 – Scheme opens for applications; councillors to promote the scheme in their ward.
• Make contact with your local ward councillor to discuss your project. Your ward councillor is responsible for obtaining the information they need to decide if the project meets the relevant criteria and can be supported. They will also need to confirm if they have any pecuniary interest or other conflict of interest related to the project and make any necessary declaration.
• Complete and sign the application form and submit the form. The form will automatically be sent to the relevant ward councillor(s).
• The ward councillor(s) will review the form and supporting information and forward it to officers in the Finance Team for checking. 
• If the project is eligible and the finance checks are completed satisfactorily, payment will be processed, normally within 4 weeks. You will receive confirmation via email along with a project evaluation form.
• If the project is not eligible, the ward councillor(s) will be contacted with the reasons why. It may be that additional information is required in which case they will contact you and seek to resolve the issue. Once satisfied, they will resubmit the application and further (final) finance checks will be carried out. If these are satisfactory, payment will be processed.
• Upon completion of the project,  a Project Evaluation Form should be submitted by the applicant.
• At the end of the scheme period (31 March 2026) a summary of all decisions made will be published on the Council’s website. 
• Any disputes in respect of the scheme will be dealt with by the Leader of the Council, the Portfolio Holder and the Chief Financial Officer. Their decision will be final.