Harborough District Council Cabinet members have awarded a £1m Community Grant Fund to Parish and Town Councils

The fund aims to strengthen working relationships between the council and parishes and towns in the Harborough district and enable delivery of projects and initiatives to benefit communities at a local level.

Parish and town councils have until 20 October 2024 to apply for this first round of funding which will be considered by Cabinet Sub-Committee Grants on 19 November 2024.

The Community Grant Fund has been split between towns, large villages, medium villages, villages close to urban settlements and smaller villages across the Harborough district ensuring more communities have access to some funding.

Applications for capital funding will only be accepted from parish or town councils and parish meetings, after seeking the views of their ward councillors. Parish and town councils may submit applications on behalf of local community groups or can work together to submit joint applications but cannot exceed their allocation.

For Market Harborough, the ten ward councillors will consider applications and make recommendations via the Market Harborough Special Expenses Advisory Panel before consideration at Cabinet Sub-Committee Grants.

Cllr Phil Knowles, Leader of Harborough District Council, said: “I am delighted to be sharing the great news that the first grant window is open. This new £1m capital community grant fund has been made available to communities by the council to enable the delivery of local projects across the district.

“Parish and town councils that would like help with their application can contact one of our two grant officers who will be available to provide support. As Chair of the Cabinet Sub-Committee Grants, I am looking forward to receiving the first round of applications and hearing about the proposed projects and initiatives that the local communities wish to deliver.”

For more information about the Community Grant Fund, including the full criteria, visit: www.harborough.gov.uk/communitygrants or email [email protected]