Sports Infrastructure Fund 2024-2027

Please email an expression of interest along with a short summary of the proposed project and confirmation that details are included in the PPOSS (please state site ID) to  sportsinfrastructurefund@wealden.gov.uk.

You will receive the full application pack consisting of a link to the application form, guidance notes and scoring criteria, if you meet the necessary criteria.

Introduction

We are pleased to announce Wealden District Council’s new Sports Infrastructure Funding Programme.

The aim of this funding programme is to provide and enhance sports provision within the district by offering grants to organisations to improve facilities and widen sport participation.

This funding programme supports the Council in delivering on its vision – ‘Wealden is a place where people and nature thrive together’ and the following Corporate Strategy – The Wealden District Council Strategy – Wealden District Council – Wealden District Council – priorities:

CE1. Tackle the Climate Emergency: We will update our Climate Change Strategy and action plan to deliver change that will lead towards our goal to be a carbon neutral district and ensure that everything we do has the least possible adverse impact on carbon production.

CW1. Community resilience: We will work with communities and partners to help build resilience in our communities through a network of community associations and other community-led networks, with mental and physical health and wellbeing at the heart.

CW5. Leisure and Culture Services: We will foster social connection and community cohesion for young people and people of all ages via a long-term plan for leisure and cultural services and facilities, ensuring everyone has access to good quality leisure and cultural opportunities that support physical, social, and mental wellbeing.

It also contributes to the delivery of the Council’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy – www.wealden.gov.uk/health-and-wellbeing-strategy/#:~:text=Online%20Mapping. The Health and Wellbeing Strategy sets out four priorities:

1. Mental health and resilience

2. Loneliness, social isolation and connected communities

3. Positive health choices

4. Active communities, environment and facilities

This new funding programme has been made available from the use of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding. The new three-year programme will make £600,000 (£200,000 p/a) available to partner organisations who are seeking to improve sports provision throughout the district.

The programme is a capital only fund, which means applicants must spend the grants on assets such as fixed equipment, buildings and features that help to create or improve sports facilities or infrastructure.

All funding projects must be maintained for a minimum of five years or for the term of the lease, whichever is greater. The exact funding terms and conditions will be agreed on a case-by-case basis and details will be included in the Grant Funding Agreement.

Sports clubs, community organisations, schools, Town and Parish Councils and not for profit organisations can apply for between £5,000 and £50,000 for projects that benefit Wealden residents.

Applications will be accepted and processed on a rolling basis. The fund will expire on 31 March 2027, or sooner, if all the funds are allocated.

Successful applications will be given a set period to spend their grant. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Final payments will be defrayed when the project has been completed and evidence of spend submitted and assessed.

If you have any questions prior to submitting a full application, please contact sportsinfrastructurefund@wealden.gov.uk and a member of WDC’s Economic Development and Wellbeing team will be in touch with you.

Funding Aims

The health and wellbeing of our residents is pivotal to them living happier, heathier, and more inclusive lives. More social connection increases quality of life and well-being for all generations.

The provision of high quality, local sports provision and open spaces enables residents to access opportunities to adopt healthier lifestyles through physical activity, and through wider benefits such as volunteering and actively being involved in their community.

Working and engaging with local partners and communities helps to strengthen local relationships and build healthy, resilient communities. The PPOSS strategy and action plan outlines a number of improvement projects throughout the district.

The aim of this funding programme is to support the delivery of the projects outlined in the districts Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy (PPOSS) and will support the improvement of outdoor sports provision and increase physical activity participation.

PPOSS Projects

Only projects detailed in the PPOSS (see pages 59-92 for all projects) will be considered, as these have been agreed by Sports Governing Bodies and Sport England

The PPOSS identifies over one hundred projects broken down into ‘enhance,’ ‘provide’ and/ or ‘protect’ and each project is given an overall priority rating of low, medium or high.

As the Council owns limited areas of outdoor space and is not responsible for any playing pitches, there is a significant role for wider partners such as sport’s governing bodies, sports club, Town and Parish Council and schools to lead and support the delivery of these recommendations.

For further information on the initial assessments go to: www.wealden.gov.uk/UploadedFiles/16.06.2022-Wealden-District-PPOSS-Full-Assessment-Report.pdf.

For the project improvement recommendations and the Action Plan go to: https://www.wealden.gov.uk/UploadedFiles/FINAL-Wealden-PPOSS-Strategy-and-Action-Plan-18.12.23.docx

Eligible Criteria

Following the adoption of the PPOSS in December 2023, the Council is keen to engage with and support local partners to invest in facility improvements to achieve the improvements recommended in the PPOSS.

£200,000 of funding has been allocated, per annum for three years. The annual grant funding programme invites organisations who own, manage and/or are responsible for the upkeep of the outdoor sports facilities, as listed in the PPOSS.

• The project is listed in Wealden’s Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy (see pages 59-92 for all projects).
• The project site must be entirely located within the Wealden district.
• All applications need to clearly demonstrate that all costs applied for are directly attributable to the physical delivery of a project. Funding is typically awarded for the purchase and installation of materials and equipment. Please ask for clarification, if unsure.
• Applicants must either own the land or building OR have permission from the landowner AND have a lease of more than seven years.
• Permissions should be obtained prior to making an application, in particular, Planning Permission and/or Building Regulations approval.
• Completion of the application must provide a project plan including high level milestones and risks/mitigation measures to be undertaken.

Application process

For further information and to request an application pack, organisations should email their details and provide a short summary of the proposed project and the PPOSS site ID, to sportsinfrastructurefund@wealden.gov.uk.

Applicants can be made for between £5,000-£50,000  (note: the maximum amount of funding awarded will be reserved for projects of district-wide strategic significance and can demonstrate that they reach a wide range of residents).

Council officers will manage and allocate the funding. A small grants panel will assess and make recommendations for funding to be allocated. These recommendations will be approved by senior officers and reported to the Single Portfolio Holder on a regular basis. The decision by the Council is final and there is no appeal process. If the recommendation is successful, the organisation will be contacted, and an offer of funding made.

Applications are invited from schools (with community-use), Town and Parish councils (who own and manage most of the districts playing pitches), sports clubs, community organisations etc. Match funding (cash only) is a requirement, and applications will not be accepted if this is not already secured.

Please be aware that funding programmes are sometimes heavily oversubscribed and if this is the case the Council is unlikely to be in a position to fund all applications received or provide the full amount requested.

In order for the Council to prioritise the available funding a grant application will need to be completed and submitted.

Funding can be used to contribute towards:

• Projects listed within the Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy (see pages 59-92) for the enhancement, maintenance, and/or protection of outdoor sports and playing pitch provision.
• Refurbishment and/or improvement of existing sports facilities, sites, and/or buildings to improve accessibility.
• Purchase of fixed new ‘community’ sports equipment. We consider ‘Fixed equipment being anything that is fixed/fitted and cannot be moved. As an example, a trampoline and outdoor boxing ring would not be deemed fixed equipment as it can be moved from venue to venue, however cricket nets/ batting cages/ full size football goal posts would.
• Improvements to accessibility and promoting equal access to outdoor sports and playing pitch provision.
• Floodlighting to enable winter and evening use.
• Maintenance equipment i.e. mowers, and match funding towards the Football Foundations Pitch Improvement Programme and other Sports Governing Bodies funding programmes.

What is not eligible for funding:

• Projects not listed within the Playing Pitch and Outdoor Sports Strategy.
• Revenue projects.
• Individuals and any organisations not listed within ‘Who can apply?’ section.
• Projects or activity outside of the boundary project area.
• Retrospective work i.e. work that has already taken place before any grant has been awarded.
• VAT reclaimable from HMRC – VAT may be an eligible cost under this grant scheme; however, this will vary on a case-by-case basis and the council cannot give VAT advice to applicants. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that VAT is correctly treated within any grant project. Incorrect VAT treatment could lead to penalties from HMRC and the applicant having to repay the VAT element of the grant that should not have been claimed.
• It is the responsibility of the applicant to include VAT if an applicant needs to claim it. If you do not include eligible VAT at the time of application, the grant will be awarded based on net costs and VAT cannot be claimed.
• Projects which generate private gain.
• Grants cannot be made to individuals or for items which only benefit an individual, such as prizes, bursaries, or personal equipment.
• Staff salaries/costs.
• Personal sports equipment i.e. team clothing.
• Organisational overheads/running costs.
• Costs of making planning applications or other statutory permissions.
• Routine maintenance work or repairs.
• Performing statutory duties.
• Submission whereby the applicant does not own the land, has no permission from the landowner or has a lease of less than seven years, where the capital fund will be spent.
• Private landowners and privately owned buildings subject to the lease specification, as detailed in the ‘eligible criteria’ section.
• Fundraising activities or advertising costs.
• Any transport modes.
• For any other purpose than that specified on the application.
• Capital improvements must not be compromised by other work in the near future.
• Grants cannot be used for activities promoting religious or political beliefs; however, we welcome applications from faith groups for community activities that are open/accessible to the whole community, regardless of religion.
• Portable items that will not be permanently kept at the address listed as the project location.
• Competitions, events, excursions and websites, publications, and marketing materials.
• Feasibility studies, tender costs, surveys, building consents or recruitment costs.
• Grants will not be awarded to organisations that have large unrestricted balances available for them to spend – if a balance is ‘restricted’ for a particular purpose, e.g. you are saving for a building or piece of equipment, you should clearly indicate this in your application.
• There should not be duplication with other funding schemes supporting similar activities. Within your application you are asked if you have applied to other sources of funding. If you have, we may undertake further checks.

Timetable

The application process will open in October 2024 and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.

The application process will close once all the funding has been allocated within each budget year. The last date for application is 31 December 2026 or earlier if all of the funding has been fully allocated. This programme expires on  31^st March 2027.

Boundary Area

The entirety of projects must be within the Wealden district boundary. If any clarity is required on boundaries, please contact the Leisure and Wellbeing Team by emailing sportsinfrastructurefund@wealden.gov.uk.

Match Funding

Match funding of the equivalent or greater value than what is being requested from the Sports Infrastructure Funding Programme is a requirement. See below table which details the level of match funding needed for this funding programme:

Match funding helps to ensure as many different organisations, as possible will be able to benefit from this fund.

Example: If your total project costs £20,000 and you are requesting £10,000 towards the project cost, you will need a minimum of £10,000 cash match funding from other sources.

Organisations should have all of their cash match funding in place / secured when applying to the programme. This will reduce the risk of a project not being delivered.

Application Checklist

Your completed application form, check list, evidence and supporting documents must be completed and returned to sportsinfrastructurefund@wealden.gov.uk.

Before you get started – you must be able to answer yes to all the following:

Required Documentation

Before you get started, please answer the following affirmatively to confirm you have the required documents:

All information relevant to your project must be submitted as we may not be able to ask for any further clarification due to the expected volume of applications received.

You may send the application and all supporting paperwork electronically. This is our preference.

To note: Your application will not be considered if you do not attach the evidence/documents stated above. If you are unsure on what evidence to provide, please contact sportsinfrastructurefund@wealden.gov.uk.

If you send any hard copies of documentation, please inform the Wellbeing Team via email that you plan to do this. WDC cannot be held responsible for any damage or lots of any paperwork. Please do not staple or bind any part of the application form or supporting information and ensure you retain a copy of the whole application form for your records.

Please contact the Leisure and Wellbeing Team via sportsinfrastructurefund@wealden.gov.uk for any queries you may have.

Subsidy Control rules

Subsidy Control Rules

The UK is subject to a new statutory Subsidy Control regime, which came into force on 4 January 2023.This regime is largely based on the requirements set out in the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (the “Act”).

Assessment of Your Application

As part of the assessment of your application, we need to determine whether the grant constitutes a ‘Subsidy’ under the Subsidy Control Act 2022. If a Subsidy is identified, it will be necessary to follow one of the routes prescribed in the Act for the award of compliant Subsidies.

Assistance and Additional Information

We may request your assistance in assessing the Subsidy and  determining the appropriate route for making an award. If  additional information is required, we will contact you and we will need this information as soon as possible.

Grant Funding Agreement and payment of grants 

If an applicant is successful in securing a grant, a Grant Agreement will be sent to the organisation which will need to be signed by hand, by the organisation and sent back to us for execution and completion on behalf of the Council, before we can release the funds.

The Grant Agreement will include Terms and Conditions to ensure the grant award and project delivery meets Wealden District Council’s requirements.

The Grant Agreement must be signed within 4 weeks of issue.

Successful applications will be given a set period to spend their grant. This will be set on a case-by-case basis. Final payments will be defrayed until the project has been fully completed and evidence of spend submitted and approved.

Monitoring

If your application is successful, we may ask you to provide evidence of before and after the project for example, as a minimum the Council will expect to receive photographic evidence at the start of the project and once all works are complete. For large projects, more regular updates may be required.

An end of grant self- monitoring evaluation form will need to be completed as part of the Grant Funding Agreement.

The Council will have the right to withhold any or all of the funds if the end of the grant self-monitoring evaluation form and evidence of expenditure/receipts (to be submitted no more than four weeks after the end of the project) is not satisfactory.

Acknowledgment and Publicity

As a minimum the applicant will be required to:

• Acknowledge the partnership work and funding provided by Wealden District Council in any media and promotional activities including social media.
• Upon Completion of the Project the applicant will be required to work closely with Wealden District Council officers to arrange a media opportunity/ opening ceremony and install, in a permanent place at the site of the Project, a plaque acknowledging the partnership work and funding received from Wealden District Council.

Further information and advice

Applicants must secure any required planning permissions and/or other statutory consents required for the project before applying (and attach copies with your application). It is the responsibility of the applicant to speak to the relevant authorities to determine if any permissions or consents are required.

Documentation (e.g. register of title, lease, or licence) detailing land ownership and permissions must be appended or submitted with the application if applicable. For projects where capital works are taking place on land not owned by the Grantee, the landowner will need to be party to the licence/lease or show evidence of permissions given by the landowner.

Planning Permission

If you aren’t sure if planning permission is required, please check our planning permission pages which can be found here: https://www.wealden.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-advice/. If you wish to speak to a member of WDC’s Planning Team, please contact the Duty Planning Officer.

The Duty Planner Service operates on Tuesdays between 10.00 and 12:30 and Thursdays between 14:30 and 17:00.

Note: During busy times, if you cannot get through to the duty planning officer you may need to call back. The service is unable to take messages and call backs cannot be arranged.

If you are ready to speak with the Duty Planning Officer call 01892 602011 during the times outlined above.

For further information on the Duty Planning Officer, please go to: Duty Planning Officer – Wealden District Council – Wealden District Council

Building Control

If you aren’t sure if you require approval from our building regulations team, you can seek advice either through our building regulations webpages which can be found here: https://www.wealden.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/east-sussex-building-control-partnership/. If you wish to speak to a member of WDC’s Building Control team, please contact: 01892 602005.

 Contact Details

If you have any questions or would like to request an application pack please contact the Leisure and Wellbeing Team by emailing: sportsinfrastructurefund@wealden.gov.uk.

 Other Funding Programmes

The council may recommend other external funding programmes, where appropriate. This may include funding programmes such as the Football Foundation’s grants programme.

For information about other types of external sports funding that may be available, contact the Partnership & Funding Officer at communitygrants@wealden.gov.uk.

Terms and Conditions

• Your main contact and signatory must be members of your organisation whom you expect to be available for the duration of the financial year and take responsibility for providing monitoring information. You must notify the Council of an alternative suitable contact who has agreed to take over the responsibility if a named signatory, as per section seven, leaves your organisation for any reason.
• You cannot apply to us for funding for items if you have applied for, or will be seeking funding for, the same items from elsewhere before you know our decision. Please make your costs as accurate as possible and be certain your project can go ahead within the timescale, as we lose allocated funds which cannot be spent.
• Grants will not be awarded to organisations that have large unrestricted balances available for them to spend – if a balance is ‘restricted’ for a particular purpose, e.g. you are saving for a building or piece of equipment, you should clearly indicate this in your application.
• Successful organisations must promote their project and that WDC has contributed funds. Further details on branding and promotional materials will be provided if your application is successful, and the Grant Funding Agreement is agreed.
• For infrastructure projects only, upon Completion of the project the applicant will install in a permanent place at the site of the project a plaque of a size of at least 250x200mm and in such form as is specified by Council to advertise the grant contribution to the project and the applicant is responsible for securing such consents as may be required to do so.
• Grant payments will not be made until evidence of spend and monitoring reports have been supplied to the Council. This enables us to monitor and review the grant application process and the successful completion of the projects funded.
• The funding will be used for the purposes set out in this application only – any changes must be agreed with the Council in advance.
• If you do not spend all of the funding by the agreed deadline, you agree to promptly return any unspent monies to the Council.
• Capital payments will only be made when work is complete.
• The Council may use your name and the name of your project in its own publicity materials, and you will inform the Council of situations where confidentiality is a particular issue.
• The Council shall have no liability to the organisation for any claims, losses, damages, or expenses it may suffer or incur as a result of its use of the funding.
• Terms and Conditions may change at any time.
• The Council may at its sole discretion withhold or suspend payment of the funding and/or require repayment of all or part of the funding in the following circumstances:

1. the organisation uses the funding for purposes other than those for which they have been awarded.
2. the organisation fails to comply with any of the terms and conditions set out in this Agreement.
3. the organisation provides the Council with incorrect or misleading information or completes the application form or supporting documentation dishonestly.
4. any member of the governing body, employee or volunteer of the Organisation has:

(i) Acted dishonestly or negligently at any time and directly or indirectly to the detriment of the Project; or

(ii) 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

Wealden District Council is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected and will only use and store your personal data in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation 2021 and Data Protection Act 1998.

We are required to collect and hold your personal information in order to process and award the grant and maintain our records of the application and grant awarded.

We will not disclose your personal data to any third parties, unless we need to do so to provide a service to you or we are legally required to do so. We may share your personal data with other Council departments in order to provide the service you have requested.

Our Privacy Policy sets out how we collect, use and securely hold you data and can be viewed at: https://www.wealden.gov.uk/transparency-spending-andperformance/data-protection/privacy-policy/