Funding boost

South Lanarkshire Council gave the green light to new arrangements for community funding.

Councillors on the community and enterprise resources committee approved plans to change the ways in which the Renewable Energy Fund (REF) is distributed to communities from windfarms.

Previously, the grant available to applicants was 50 per cent of the project cost, but this has now been increased to 75 per cent and in some cases 100 per cent of the grant will be available depending on the conditions.

Chair of the community and enterprise resources committee, Robert Brown, said:“The Renewable Energy Fund has been a considerable success in supporting and improving rural facilities like village halls, sports clubs and employment. The REF is steadily increasing in value but it is vital that rural communities are able to maximise the long-term benefit of the funds in ways which will support job opportunities, sustain rural towns, villages and communities and build on local facilities.

“The changes agreed by the committee are important and give rural communities more power and wider options for using this important funding.”

Other changes to the REF include the ability to fund revenue projects for up to three years (in addition to capital projects), an increase in the small grants level to 100 per cent funding up to £20,000 and the introduction of a Rural Facilities Sustainability Fund to help communities consider asset ownership and retain facilities for a period of up to three years.

David Booth, executive director of community and enterprise resources, said:“In consultation with local people, community and enterprise resources will be able to develop larger, more complex, projects to support and sustain rural communities.”