Spaldington Airfield Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund

What is the Spaldington Airfield Farm Community Benefit Fund?

Falck Renewables was formed in 2010 from a decision by the Falck group to consolidate all of its renewable activities. It is now one of the leading players in the field of energy at the European level. Further information is available on the Falck Renewables website:

Falck Renewables (external website)

As part of the Falck commitment to work with local communities, where it has operational projects, an agreement was reached with the planning authority to create a ‘Community Benefit Fund’. This agreement is entirely voluntary and means that during the commercial lifetime of the Spaldington Airfield Wind Farm the company will make an annual payment into the fund based on the operational capacity of the wind farm. The wind farm was completed in 2016 and has a capacity of 10.75 megawatts.

This means that the Annual Contribution into the fund will be £1,500 x 10.75 megawatts = £16,125 per annum.

Falck has also agreed to increase the payments in line with the Retail Price Index published by the National Office for Statistics.

More about Falck Renewables:

What is the area of benefit for the fund?

The parishes of Spaldington, Bubwith, Foggathorpe, Holme on Spalding Moor, Eastrington, Howden and Wressle in the East Riding of Yorkshire and in particular initiatives within proximity of the wind farm. A map showing the area of benefit can be downloaded from the table below.

What types of activities will the fund support?

Who can request funds?

Applications are accepted from community groups, community organisations, charities, parish councils, schools, and churches. Applicants must have a bank account in the name of the group/organisation.

Applications cannot be accepted from individuals.

New groups or ideas for projects where a group does not currently exist can be considered.

For further information please contact the fund administrator by:

Email: ruralfunding@eastriding.gov.uk

Are there any activities that cannot be funded?

The following activities cannot be supported by the fund:

• Political, religious or other campaigns
  
• Anti-renewable energy/wind farm activities
  
• Activities normally understood to be the exclusive responsibility of public bodies including Town and Parish Councils, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Humberside Fire and Rescue Services, Humberside Police, Internal Drainage Boards, the Environment Agency and Health Authority.

How can the money be spent?

The fund panel can distribute the money as:

• Commissioning – where the fund panel devise a Public benefit project and employ a group to deliver it
  
• Donations – where no conditions are placed on the money given to a project
  
• Grants – where conditions on use are placed on the money given to a project and reports and audit arrangements are in place
  
• Loans – where the money spent is repaid into the fund at a later date.

What are the deadlines and timescales?  

The main Fund and Community Chest (for sums up to £500) are both currently closed to receiving applications, but will re-open in 2019.

How much money can be applied for? 

Applications to the main fund must be over £500 and no upper limit has been set. Applications should be made on the online application forms. Guidance notes about how to access these can be downloaded from the answer to the question How do I submit an application for funding? below.

Applications for less than £500 should be made on the Community Chest Forms which can also be downloaded from the question How do I submit an application for funding? below.

Will the fund support 100% of the project costs? 

The fund panel will prioritise applications that show evidence of an organisations contribution towards the costs. The contribution can be cash, donations of materials, loan of equipment, free use of land or buildings or volunteer time. As a guide the value of volunteer time should be calculated as a minimum of £7.50 per hour or the average wage rate for a job.

How is the fund managed and who makes decisions about how it is spent? 

Falck Renewables Wind Limited has appointed the East Riding of Yorkshire Council as the Accountable Body for the Fund and provides the secretariat services through its Rural Policy and Partnerships Team.

Decisions on how the money is spent are made by a Fund panel made up of between 5 and 9 people as follows:

• One representative from East Riding of Yorkshire Council
  
• One representative from the developer
  
• 3 – 7 individuals nominated by parish councils in the area of benefit.

What is the application process from start to finish? 

1. The applicant completes the online application form and submits it electronically with any supporting evidence (quotes, permissions, governance document, bank statements).
   
2. The online system acknowledges receipt of the application.
   
3. The fund administrator carries out a technical appraisal of the application and requests any additional information required for clarification.
   
4. The application is sent to the fund panel members.
   
5. The fund panel members meet and make a decision.
   
6. The fund administrator writes to unsuccessful applicants stating the decision and the reason.
   
7. The fund administrator writes to success applicants offering fund and explaining any conditions that may apply. Enclosed with the offer of funding the administrator sends a pack detailing records that need to be kept and an 'End of Grant Report'.
   
8. Successful applicants write back accepting or declining the offer and the conditions.
   
9. Successful applicants submit an invoice for either part or all of the funding offer.
   
10. The administrator arranges payment (Please note: payments can only be made directly into the applicant's bank account. Payment terms are normally 30 days).
    
11. Successful applicants complete the project.
    
12. Successful applicants submit the End of Project Report, a final invoice for any remaining funding due and evidence that the project has been carried out.
    
13. The administrator checks the End of Project Report and arranges any final payments.
    
14. The project is included in the Fund Annual Report and presented at the Public Annual Review Meeting. 

How do I submit an application for funding? 

The applicant completes an online application form within the Flexi-Grant system and submits it electronically with supporting evidence. 

To access this system visit the Flexi-Grant System website:

Flexi-Grant System (external council website)

Guidance notes on how to complete the online application form are available on the Flexi-Grant system and can also be downloaded from the question How do I submit an application for funding? below.

Supporting evidence consists of a minimum of:

• constitution, rules or governance documents
  
• latest annual audited or independently examined accounts
  
• most recent bank statements (all accounts no more than three months old)
  
• three comparable quotes from different suppliers for all individual items which cost £500 or more
  
• copies of relevant permissions/licences (Street Trading, Gambling, Planning Permission, Lease, Diocese faculty etc).
  

Other supporting evidence may be:  

• letters of support
  
• survey results
  
• reports
  
• related strategies.
  

If you have any queries please contact the fund:

Email: ruralfunding@eastriding.gov.uk 

Community Chest Application Form (for applications up to £500 in value) and guidance notes are available to download below. 

Please refer to these prior to submitting an application.