Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) village halls and community buildings grant scheme: eligibility and guidance

Overview

The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) is a capital grant programme integrated into the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and is aimed at specifically addressing some of the challenges faced by our local rural areas. The funding is for capital projects only (not revenue).

The REPF sets out several investment priorities and, within these, pre-determined 'interventions' that act as project categories which all REPF projects must fall under. Potential applicants are encouraged to read more about the REPF and the interventions on the GOV.UK website.

West Berkshire District Council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019 which it updated to a Climate and Ecological Emergency in 2023. The council is aiming to reach net zero carbon for its own emissions by 2030 and to assist the whole District on its pathway to net zero as soon as practicable. The REPF funding the council has been allocated is intending to support works to create new sustainable community infrastructure and to safeguard existing facilities to serve the local community into the future.

With this in mind, West Berkshire District Council has introduced a new capital grant scheme aimed at village halls and community buildings. We are particularly keen to support projects which contribute to one or more of the following priorities:

• promoting decarbonisation
• improving energy efficiency
• enabling renewable energy installations
• helping to improve digital connectivity

Capital funding can be used to purchase 'assets', either new or the significant refurbishment of existing assets. These assets are expected to have a life span of at least 5 years. For example: repairs to the structure / fabric of any permanent building, including items such as roofing, windows, doors, insulation, solar PV, and heat pumps.

Revenue funding is used where there is no lasting asset, for example: operational costs such as staff and energy bills.

How much funding is available in West Berkshire?

West Berkshire has been allocated a total of £597,994 of funding through the REPF, and the investment plan (as to how this funding is to be used) has been approved by the council's Economic Development Board.

£200,000 has been allocated to the Eling Cycle way scheme, while £297,994 of the funding is to be used for a capital grant scheme for small rural businesses to stimulate growth and diversification. This element of the grant is being administered separately - you can find more information on the Rural England Prosperity Fund grant scheme page.

The final £100,000 of funding is for this village hall and community buildings grant scheme. West Berkshire District Council had already allocated funding for a similar purpose and will, therefore, match the £100,000 from REPF. Therefore, the total maximum amount of grant funding available to projects is, £200,000.

This funding is available for 2024/25 and will need to be allocated by the early part of 2025. Projects do not need to be delivered within the 2024/25 financial year. There is an expectation that they will be delivered within 12 months of receiving funding. 

Who can apply?

Any community organisation located in an eligible rural area, with legal status in the UK as listed below, can apply.

Your community group or organisation must be one of the following:

• Unincorporated Association
• Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
• Charitable Trust
• Charitable Community Benefit Society
• Town or parish council
• Charitable company
• Cooperative Society
• Community Interest Company (CIC)

Eligible areas of West Berkshire, for the purposes of REPF, have been determined by DEFRA. These are broadly classed as:

• towns, villages, and hamlets with populations below 10,000 and the wider countryside
• market or 'hub towns' with populations of up to 30,000 that serve their surrounding rural areas as centres of employment and in providing services

Your address and your project must be in an eligible part of West Berkshire. You can check if your address and project is in an eligible area using the government's 'magic map' here.

Magic Map user notes:

• a) select the 'Administrative Geographies' option on the left-hand side and choose 'Other Administrative Boundaries'
• b) from the list that appears, select the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) option - red boundary lines will appear on the Map, marking eligible rural areas
• c) then, put your project postcode in the search bar at the top, and press enter (return) - Magic Map will automatically zoom to the postcode area and will load fully in seconds
• d) once the Map has loaded, select the information tool from the icons on the search bar (this will turn the cursor into a cross bar)
• e) click on the location of your project to determine the Rural Fund eligibility

Who can't apply?

Only those organisations identified above are eligible to apply for this grant scheme.

You will also not be eligible for funding for those projects that are already receiving grant funding from other DEFRA schemes, including (but not limited to):

• the Platinum Jubilee Village Hall Improvement Grant Fund - grant funding over 3 years (to 2025) to support capital improvement projects for village halls, covering extending buildings and modernising facilities
• the DEFRA Village Halls Small Grants Fund announced in February 2024

Applicants will be required to declare that their project is not in receipt of such funding.

What schemes are eligible?

The Village Hall and Community Building Grant may be used for capital projects that reduce the carbon footprint of village halls or community buildings and enhances the provision of net zero infrastructure within the community. The purpose of the scheme being to support the resilience and capacity of village halls as essential community infrastructure.

Example projects include (but are not limited to):

• loft and/or cavity wall insulation
• draft proofing doors and windows
• LED lighting
• new more energy efficient windows and doors
• improving building heating controls and zoning
• low carbon heating systems
• installation of renewable technology such as Solar PV
• battery storage
• installation of Electric Vehicle Charge Points
• provision of digital infrastructure

If in doubt, please contact the council using the email environment@westberks.gov.uk explaining why you think your project is potentially eligible.

Any applicant with a project that may require planning approval needs to go through the appropriate channels at the council to apply for and get the required consent. Award of grant funding through this scheme is not to be interpreted as any kind of planning approval or consent.

The council reserves the right to recover grant funding from applicants with projects that require planning consent, which is subsequently, for whatever reason, denied. Thus, meaning that the project cannot be delivered. This funding will then be returned to the overall grant pot for re-distribution to successful applicants.

How much funding can I apply for?

Applicants can apply for a grant of up to £10,000 towards the capital costs of their project. In exceptional cases the council may consider applications for larger grants, however, you must be able to demonstrate that your project significantly contributes to the objectives of the scheme. 

Match funding

All projects must include an element of match funding. This helps to show commitment, better value for money and makes the funding stretch further so we can support as many projects as possible.

Please tell us the source of your match funding, this can be from your own bank accounts, crowdfunding, other grants, fundraisers or legacies. This match funding must be cash-based and cannot be, for example, for time, labour or materials.

We will need to see evidence that your match funding contribution is in place before we can issue you with a grant offer letter.

Applicants are required to make a minimum financial contribution of 10% towards the total project costs. This means your grant request must not exceed 90% of the total eligible capital project costs.

For example: if your capital project expenditure totals £5,000 you must contribute at least 10% of the project cost, which we refer to as your match funding. If you contribute the minimum 10% match funding, which is £500, you would then apply for a grant of £4,500.

How to apply for the grant

An application form, along with this guidance, will be published in the ​​​​​​​'Green Hub' section of the council's website. You will be able to find it on our 'village halls and community building grant' page. The application form must be filled in and returned to the council along with any supporting information.

Applications may be submitted digitally, via the environment@westberks.gov.uk email address. For ease and speed, digital applications are preferred. Please use the following as the 'subject' for your email when submitting your application: REPF Grant Application.

Physical applications will also be accepted - please write REPF Grant Application on the envelope and send to: Environment Delivery Team, Environment Department, West Berkshire Council, Market Street, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 5LD.

Applications should be for a capital project proposal that the applicant organisation will deliver, asking for a specific level of grant funding to undertake the project. Organisations will need to provide evidence for their project in their application form, including: background, purpose, local impact, costs and deliverability, along with supporting evidence such as quotes for the work and any match funding.

What information you will need for your application

The minimum information you need is as follows:

• Applicant details: provide the name, title and contact information for the person in your organisation who is most appropriate to contact with any questions about your application
• Organisation details: this section includes your organisation's legal status - provide the address and sector information for your organisation
• Project proposals: 
  • provide details about the project, including how it meets the grant funding objectives and outcomes
  • the address / location of the project (if different from your organisation address)
  • the anticipated project start and end dates
  • whether planning permission is required, and whether this has been applied for or not, and if it is under consideration or has been granted
  • the project costs, including how much grant funding you intend to claim and an explanation of where the balance of funding for the project will come from

Procurement

To ensure that all grant funding offers good value for money (VfM), the applicant will be required to provide a minimum of one (1) quote for items below £5,000 in value and three (3) quotes for items valued at £5,000 or above.

If the required number of quotes cannot be identified, the applicant should provide sound justification to explain why this has not been possible. Grants will only be approved for items with less than the required number of quotes in exceptional circumstances.

Wherever possible, quotes should be sought from West Berkshire based suppliers in the first instance.

Applicants are expected to progress the 'best value quote' with the value being assessed as a combination of price, quality and confidence in delivery.

The applicant should provide sound justification explaining the decision to select the chosen supplier.

West Berkshire Council reserves the right to only pay a grant to the level of lowest priced supplier should sufficient justification not be provided.

Assessment of your application and any supporting documentation

Upon submission, applicants will receive an email acknowledging receipt, giving a unique reference code for the application to use in any correspondence, and outlining current timeframes for a decision.

Applications will be assessed by officers within the council's Environment Delivery Team on a 'rolling basis' (as and when they are submitted), and therefore the timeframes for a decision are flexible (dependant on the number of applications received, the level of detail provided and other factors).

The aim will be to have fully allocated the grant funding by 31st January 2025 and to have all Grant Agreements in place by 31st March 2025.

How we will pay the grant to you

Successful applicants will enter into a Grant Agreement with the council and receive the agreed grant payment into their given bank account.

If we approve your application, you are committing to deliver the outputs as detailed in your application.

Monitoring

Recipients of the grant funding are required to demonstrate the impact and positive changes that your project makes.

You will be required to monitor your project and report agreed information to West Berkshire Council. It is important to build monitoring, evaluation and reporting into the project from the beginning to understand what has worked well and what has not worked so well.

Depending on the nature and length of the project, we will ask you to provide us with progress updates on spend, milestones and outcomes. An initial monitoring requirement, at the start of your project, is to establish a baseline position to enable you to monitor any project benefits such as reductions in energy consumption and carbon emissions. If required, guidance can be given to assist with establishing a baseline.

You will be expected to be able to initiate your proposal and begin spending your award within 3 months of receiving the funding. There is also an expectation the project will be delivered in full within 12 months of receiving the approved funding.