Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What are the criteria for projects funded under the Central Warwickshire Villages LEADER programme?
  2. Are applications only acceptable if they come from formal organisations?
  3. Can I get advice about how to apply for project funding? If so, how?
  4. Is there a premium attached to innovation?
  5. How precisely do we need to predict our budget for the application?
  6. What costs can we charge to the project?
  7. What records of activity and expenditure will we need to keep?
  8. How do we report?
  9. How do we deal with match funding?
  10. How do we record voluntary work?
  11. Do we need to set up a special bank account?
  12. What happens if I submitted an Expression of Interest in response to your earlier requests?
  13. Will a village/community group be looked on unfavourably if it submits more that one application?
  14. Can I resubmit if we don’t succeed first time?
  15. What happens if the details of project delivery change during the life of the project?
  16. Are there circumstances in which the money might be claimed back?
  17. What happens if we over-spend?
  18. Presumably we will have to pay back any money that we under-spend?
  19. Can we apply for extra money for the same project if we have over-spent or have good ideas about extra activities?
  20. Can we use any spare money for extra activities if we don’t need it all for the things we intially planned?
  21. Can we use the funding for large items of capital expenditure (e.g. constructing village halls)?
  22. Provision of land by a friendly farmer?
  23. What if we want to copy a successful project done somewhere else?

What are the criteria for projects funded under the Central Warwickshire Villages LEADER programme?
All applications will have to address the priorities outlined in the Central Warwickshire Villages LEADER  Local Development Strategy (LDS) and business plan[link to business plan] The Local Action Group (LAG) will appraise applications against detailed  project appraisal criteria set regionally and by the LAG itself. These will be explained in the Application Pack.
 
Broadly speaking the programme aims to bring people and communities together in the rural areas of Rugby Borough and Warwick District by engaging them in developing community arts and village events, in developing activities centred on growing, and in activities that link communities or groups with rural industry, including farming. The outputs for the programme, as defined in the LDS, include community arts projects and village events, community growing projects, projects linking rural industries (farms etc.) with communities, and cooperation projects with other regional, national and international LEADER programmes. See also the pages on programme themes and programme calls.
 
All ideas that encompass these themes will be considered for funding. The outcome of the programme is intended to be a strong sense of place within the rural villages of Central Warwickshire and to leave a lasting legacy of social and economic benefits for the residents of these rural communities. Providing longer term sustainability of village communities is therefore also a strong requirement for obtaining project funding.

 

Are applications only acceptable if they come from formal organisations?

Anyone can apply subject to meeting the specific criteria outlined in the  LDS and  Application Pack for the particular call you are responding to. As this is public money, we require applicants to have a bank account with at least two signatories and a written constitution or terms of reference.

Can I get advice about how to apply for project funding? If so, how?
Yes- the programme team consists of a Programme Manager and a part time  Animator. The Programme Manager is responsible for the overall delivery of the programme and will often be the first point of contact with the programme. The Animator will be responsible for working directly with applicants to develop their ideas and deliver them under the programme and will be the person most involved in working with prospective applicants on a day to day basis The LEADER programme team will signpost and cross-refer applicants if they see a more appropriate funding route for a particular idea.
Is there a premium attached to innovation?
Yes, though this only needs to be novel in the local context, not in absolute terms.
How precisely do we need to predict our budget for the application?
At the EOI stage costs can be estimated but need to be realistic. It would be expected that the Full Application would contain accurate figures based on research, general estimates are not acceptable at this stage. The Programme Team will be available to give guidance at this stage of the process.
What costs can we charge to the project?
All costs associated with a project can be claimed back as long as they our outlined in the application. Any payment made requires the necessary paperwork to back it up to ensure that it is not clawed back. It would be advisable to make all payment by cheque or BACS to ensure that you have an auditable trail for the quarterly claims
What records of activity and expenditure will we need to keep?
All records relating to activity and expenditure need to be kept as evidence of achieving the outputs identified in your application. This could be correspondence, invoices, quotes, marketing materials, records of community engagement, timesheets etc. All of this is evidence of how the project has developed and succeeded. If you are unsure the Programme Team will be able to advise you.
All documents need to be kept until 2023 unless it is a capital expenditure, in which case records should be retained until 2033. A capital expenditure is any single item with a value £2,500 or more.
How do we report?
 All applicants will be expected to complete quarterly claims until the funding of the project is completed. The Monitoring Officer and the Programme Team will be able to help you and will explain all the processes and requirements as part of the initial Project Engagement Visit (PEV). The LAG may also require applicants to provide reports to them so they can follow the development of your application.
 

Further information about this can be found in the Application Guidance document

How do we deal with match funding?
Any resource that is used in the development of the project that is not supplied by the Central Warwickshire Villages LEADER programme is classed as match funding. This could be in kind contributions of volunteer or organisations’ time, use of venues or land free of charge or physical funding from another source. You would need evidence of what the market rate would have been if you had had to pay for the facility.
How do we record voluntary work?
Voluntary work can be recorded through the use of signed timesheets. A standard hourly rate will apply for voluntary workers..  If you receive specialist assistance in developing your project a different cost can be claimed for this. Please contact the Programme Team to discuss this further.
Do we need to set up a special bank account?
You will need to be able to evidence the income and outgoings relating to your LEADER project so this may be the simplest way to do so if your project involves many transactions. It is not a requirement though.  If you are a constituted group or an established organisation you can use your current bank account. However all LEADER financial activity needs to be clearly identified in your accounts for audit purposes. This issue will be addresses in the development of your application and the contracting process.
What happens if I submitted an Expression of Interest in response to your earlier requests?

A member of the programme team will get in touch with you to discuss how you can proceed with your idea. If you think that they have not done this please contact the programme manager who will inform you of the current situation. It may be that the project will be considered when a relevant call has been made as the LAG is limited in the number of projects that they can process at any one time.

Will a village/community group be looked on unfavourably if it submits more that one application?
Not automatically, as long as the funding request meets the Local Development Strategy (LDS) themes and criteria and the outcomes are proportional to the funding requested. A simple repeat of a previous project e.g. an annual event may not be supported as the LAG wishes to stimulate new initiatives and encourages applicants to consider the longer term sustainability of projects it supports.
Can I resubmit if we don’t succeed first time?

If your project idea is sound and perhaps fails on some criteria the Local Action Group (LAG) will recommend that the programme team work with you to better develop your ideas. If the project is deemed ineligible for funding or fails on too many points it is probably best not to resubmit a similar project.

What happens if the details of project delivery change during the life of the project?

The short answer is that there is some flexibility to alter delivery of projects on the ground. This can only be on condition that the orginal project justification and outcomes are not altered. Project delivery will be monitored by the programme team and the funders and there will be opportunity to negotiate changes as issues arise that need to be addressed. You will not be free to completely change the project after the funding agreement is signed.

Are there circumstances in which the money might be claimed back?

Yes there are circumstances in which money might be claimed back from a project. For instance if money is spent on items or activities not within the funding agreement or if money is otherwise mis-spent. Normally the project organisation would bear responsibility for paying back any monies. The liability of individual members of a group will depend on the set up and constitution of the group.

What happens if we over-spend?
You will only be able to draw down money to offset money spent up to the total approved by the LAG. Any overspend is your responsibility unless the LAG has previously approved an amendment to your Grant Agreement/ offer letter.
Presumably we will have to pay back any money that we under-spend?
Yes any unspent money would have to be paid back to the programme as it is public money. The programme team will monitor project spending and it would normally be according to the funding agreement as described in the original application and/or business plan. Claims for project money will be made on a monthly or quarterly basis up to 90% of the total contract so the circumstance in which a project is holding a large amount of unspent money should not arise .The remaining 10% will be paid on satisfactory completion of the project. It will rather be a case of projects claiming less than originally budgeted.
Can we apply for extra money for the same project if we have over-spent or have good ideas about extra activities?

Your project will be funded according to what you said you would do in your application form and you will have a funding agreement to that effect. You will be held to account if you overspend and this could jeopardise the outcome of your project as you will not receive more funding than you applied for. If you want more funding you will have to reapply for funding incorporating your ideas for extra activities.

Can we use any spare money for extra activities if we don’t need it all for the things we intially planned?
You will have a funding agreement based on your original full application form and this will be the basis of an agreement between your project and the Central Warwickshire Villages LEADER programme which will monitor the progress and spending by your project.  An under spend on approved activity is not justification for including extra spending on other items or activities which were not originally included in the project.
Can we use the funding for large items of capital expenditure (e.g. constructing village halls)?

The programme is not anticipating a large amount of capital funding to be granted. The reason for this is that there are not sufficient funds for large projects (e.g. constructing or renovating village halls), especially where these are unlikely to generate outcomes proportional to the size of the grant. We need to ensure that all communities have a chance to benefit from the funding.

Provision of land by a friendly farmer?

Depending on the exact circumstances, this might be counted as match funding for the value of the rental value of the land. It is worth bearing in mind that such agreements would need to be contractually binding on both sides for the duration of the project and the programme is unlike to authorise any capital spend on such land without longer term agreements between the community and farmer.

What if we want to copy a successful project done somewhere else?

In principle you could copy a successful project from elsewhere as long as it meets the criteria laid down in the LDS and is adapted to local circumstances. In fact this may save a deal of groundwork at the outset but should not substitute for actual consultation within the community. Similar reasoning applies to successful projects in the programme area but it should be noted that LEADER criteria place a premium on innovation and simply repeating projects is unlikely to result in a successful application.

If the project has already been tried in the programme area and was not successful it would be necessary to ask why not and address the reasons for failure before the project would stand a chance of being funded.