Staffordshire Local Community Fund 
Criteria and Rules

The Scheme enables each county councillor to put forward proposals for expenditure in that member's electoral division against a budget earmarked for him/her to promote the well-being of the inhabitants of that Division. It would normally be expected that such proposals would also support one or more of the Council's corporate or service priorities.

The purpose of the scheme is to improve the ability of the county council to respond to local needs in a flexible way.

The Cabinet shall specify in the budget it recommends to the county council the amount of the proposed Staffordshire Local Community Fund (SLCF) allocation for each member of the county council for the year in question.

There are detailed rules about the operation of the Scheme set out below to ensure that the county council's legal and financial position is safeguarded.

The council will review the scheme annually. The Corporate Director Law and Democracy may issue further guidance as necessary.

The County Council's Constitution gives detailed guidance on the rules governing the scheme (see extract below).

1. Scope

1.1  The Scheme enables each Local Member to put forward proposals for expenditure in that member's electoral division against a budget earmarked for him/her to promote the well-being of the inhabitants of that Division.

1.2  The purpose of the scheme is to improve the ability of the County Council to respond to local needs in a flexible way.

1.3  The Cabinet shall specify in the budget it recommends to the County Council the amount of the proposed Staffordshire Local Community Fund (SLCF) allocation for each member of the County Council for the year in question.

1.4  There are detailed rules about the operation of the Scheme set out below to ensure that the County Council's legal and financial position is  safeguarded.

2. The Scheme

2.1  The Director of Law and Democracy will normally approve a proposal by a local member to spend from his/her SLCF  allocation unless:-

 (a) the proposal is one which is reserved to the county council under Appendix 1 of this Constitution; or

 (b) It is contrary to a county council or Cabinet policy including the need for county-wide consistent standards of the assessment of social care needs: or

(c)  The Director of Law and Democracy advises it is unlawful; or

 (d) It is a matter which would involve a payment to a school wholly or mainly to support the school's ordinary curriculum; or

(f) It would create an on-going financial commitment; or

(g) It relates to a function which is the legal responsibility of another statutory body or organisation.

2.2  The SLCF allocation available to a member shall be spent on, or in relation to the enhancement of, one or more projects, which should demonstrably support one or more of the County Council's service areas and cross cutting outcomes in the relevant community and which are to be undertaken in his or her electoral division during the financial year to which the allocation relates; but, subject to paragraphs 2.3 and 2.4 below and with the prior approval of the Cabinet:-

(a) A member may carry forward the whole or part of one financial year's unspent allocation to the following financial year in order to support a proposal which could not be funded from the SLCF allocation available to that member in the financial year to which the allocation relates, provided that no allocation may be carried forward beyond the next following financial year; and

 (b) Two or more members may agree on a joint proposal for the whole or part of the SLCF allocations of those members to be spent on, or in relation to the enhancement of, one or more projects to be carried out in their combined electoral divisions and may carry forward as paragraph 2.2 (a) allows. 

 (c) Except for an allocation carried forward under paragraph 2.2(a) or (b), or re-allocated under paragraphs 2.5 or 2.6, no allocation may be carried forward beyond the financial year to which the allocation relates.

2.3  In any financial year (including the financial year preceding a county council election) no proposal to spend an SLCF allocation will be approved after 31 December of that financial year.

2.4   In the financial year of a county council election no proposal to spend an SLCF allocation will be approved nor will any payment of an SLCF allocation be made until after 1 July in that financial year.

2.5 Unless paragraph 2.6 applies, any allocation of funding to a particular proposal shall, save in exceptional circumstances, be spent on that proposal by no later then the end of the financial year to which the allocation relates and to the extent by then not spent on that proposal, the allocation shall be cancelled, shall no longer be available to the member by whom it was allocated and shall, if previously paid to the organiser of the proposal, be returned to the county council.

2.6 If there are exceptional reasons for a particular proposal not spending, in full or in part, the funding allocated to it in the financial year in which it was approved, and if it would be fair, in all the circumstances, to re-allocate the unspent amount of such funding, (and subject to the return by the organiser of that proposal of any unspent money to the council), then that unspent sum shall be re-allocated to the member concerned for the next following financial year and be available for allocation to a different proposal to be approved in accordance with this Scheme and spent during that financial year.

2.7 The question of whether exceptional circumstances or reasons exist under paragraphs 2.5 or 2.6 shall be determined by the Director of Law and Democracy, in consultation with the Leader of the Council (or in his absence the Deputy Leader of the Council), having regard to the views of the member concerned.

3.   Procedure

3.1  The local member shall notify the Director of Law and Democracy of the proposal.  The Director of Law and Democracy will tell the local member whether in his opinion the proposal meets the criteria set out above.

3.2  If the Director of Law and Democracy does not raise any objection under paragraph 3.1 above he shall then put the matter to the Cabinet for a decision or deal with it in accordance with paragraph 3.3 below.

3.3  The SLCF allocation available to a member shall not be spent on any matter within the purview of the Regulatory Committee or a Panel thereof or the Planning Committee unless the Committee or Panel (as the case may be) have considered a report of the relevant Corporate Director on the local member's proposal and have agreed to it. Paragraphs 3.1 and 3.2 above apply to such proposal(s) in the same way as to proposals which would be submitted to the Cabinet

3.4 The provisions of paragraphs 3.2 and 3.3 above are without prejudice to the powers delegated to the Director of Law and Democracy under entry 24 in Table 7 of Appendix 1 of the Constitution.

4.  Review

4.1  The Council shall review this scheme annually.  The Director of Law and Democracy may issue further guidance as necessary. Last Modified: 02/09/2010 07:24:42
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