Red Tile Wind Farm Trust Fund

1. About the Company1.1 Red Tile Wind Farm Trust Fund Ltd. has been formed to distribute money paid by the owner (currently EDF Energy) of a wind farm at Tick Fen, Warboys under a section 106 agreement with Huntingdonshire District Council as part of the planning permission for the development. The Trust Fund is referred to in these notes as ‘the Company’. A second fund is administered by the Company using funds donated by the owner of a single turbine off Puddock Road. This is the Whittome Wind Trust Fund. These notes are intended to provide background information on the funding available and to assist applications in the completion of the necessary application form.

1.2 The Company comprises Directors who are appointed by Huntingdonshire District Council, Chatteris and Ramsey Town Councils and Warboys Parish Council. They are all councillors of the respective authorities.

2.

Allocation of FundsRed Tile Fund

2.1 Under the terms of the section 106 agreement and the objectives of the Company, grants will be allocated only for the purposes of promoting:

(a) renewable and efficient energy; and

(b) projects that conserve or improve the environment.

2.2 In determining applications, the Company will give preference to the following criteria:

(a) projects within Warboys and the surrounding parishes (Ramsey, Wistow, Broughton, Old Hurst, Pidley-cum-Fenton, Somersham and Chatteris); and

(b) projects with the most significant contribution to greenhouse gas emission reductions and/or environmental conservation enhancement.

2.3 When funds are allocated by the Company to a project that relates to a number of beneficiaries, those within Warboys and the surrounding parishes will be given priority in receiving the benefit.

Whittome Wind Trust

2.4 Funds will be allocated only for the purposes of promoting facilities and opportunities for the local community to engage in any type of sporting or active pursuit or any activity that promotes a healthy lifestyle.

2.5 Projects must be located within the parishes of Warboys and Ramsey but preference will be given to projects within Warboys.

2.6 In the case of both funds, grants allocated by the Company cannot be used to offset expenditure that is a statutory duty of local government or government departments or expenditure by large land owners. That does not preclude applications by town or parish councils.

3.

How to make an application3.1 If applying for funding, you will be required to complete an application form, obtainable from the Secretary (whose contact details are shown below) and to include as much detail as possible to enable your application to be considered by the Company. You should complete as many of the boxes in the application form as you are able.

3.2 You will need to show how the project meets the objectives of the Company as failure to do so will mean that your application is rejected. You should give details of the amount of money sought from the Company and the allocation of funding from your own resources to the project. You will need to attach a copy of your most recent accounts with your application.

3.3 Details should be given of all other organisations to which you have applied for funding, the anticipated date when those applications will be considered and the amount of funding for which you have applied. Partnership projects will be particularly welcome, although care should be taken to ensure that only one of the partners applies for funding. Priority will normally be given in the award of funding to those projects which attract financial support from elsewhere, particularly from your own fund raising efforts.

3.4 Funding will not normally be made available for revenue expenditure, e.g. the payment of salaries or energy charges for the use of premises nor for general repair and maintenance of buildings, although exceptions may be made for projects that can be shown to have community benefit.

4.

How much funding can be sought?4.1 The maximum sum expected to be available for distribution annually by the Company is £20,000 from Red Tile Fund and £10,000 from Whittome Wind Trust although if this is not all allocated in any one year, the balance will be carried forward to the succeeding year. The Company has not set a maximum limit on the level of funding that may be awarded to a specific project and will wish to assist as many organisations as possible within the resources available to them. For this reason, it is unlikely that a grant of more than £15,000 will be allocated or that a second grant will be made to the same or a similar project put forward by an organisation that has already been supported.

4.2 The company will not normally offer a grant of more than 50% of the cost of a project net of VAT.

5.

When decisions will be made5.1 Funds are expected to be allocated by the Company on three occasions each year at its meetings in January, June and September. The dates of meetings are obtainable from the Secretary. You should ensure that your application reaches the Secretary no less than one month before the date of the meeting at which you wish it to be considered. Meetings of the Company are not open to the public but you may be invited to attend to explain your project in more detail. Funding can be by way of grants or, in exceptional circumstances, loans and you should indicate in your application if you are seeking a loan rather than a grant.

5.2 Canvassing of the Directors of the Company should not take place

5.3 Once approved, grants will be paid to a successful applicant on the supply to the Company of an invoice or receipt for payment made in connection with the project. A grant may be made available in staged payments depending upon the nature of the project to be supported. If a grant is made for work that is subject to VAT, this should be clearly shown on the invoice or receipt and the grant will be paid net of the VAT charged.

5.4 Projects that are supported will be expected to acknowledge that they have been assisted financially by the Company in some tangible way, for example by displaying a small plaque in an appropriate location or by including a reference to the support received in any publicity material relating to the project. Recipients are also requested to notify the Company once any scheme or project that has been assisted has been completed or if it has not expected to be completed, the reason why such circumstance has occurred.

5.5 In order to assess the success of projects supported by the Company, recipients will be required to supply the Company with a brief report one year after the receipt of grant, indicating whether the project has met its objectives and what has been achieved. It would also be helpful if recipients could supply one or more photographs of the project with their feedback report. Directors of the Company would welcome an opportunity to visit projects that have been assisted to evaluate their performance.

6.

The submission of applications6.1 Once completed, an application should be submitted to the Company Secretary by post to:

Roy Reeves,
2 Blenheim Close,
Warboys.
Huntingdon.
Cambs.
PE28 2XF.

or by e-mail to:

clerk@warboysparishcouncil.co.uk

6.2 If you would like to obtain any further information, please contact the Secretary on 01487 823562.