Mid Ulster Council's 'lighter touch' approach for grants allocation

The plans were outlined in a report presented at a Development committee meeting.

Following an internal review of the local authority’s current Community Grant Aid Policy, registered charities with a current valid registration number will no longer be required to submit their annual governance documentation with any application submission.

This is deemed unnecessary as assurance is confirmed via annual returns they will have to make to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland under regulatory compliance.

Checks on this will be carried out by staff to authenticate registration.

Speaking at the committee meeting, Neighbourhood Development manager, Philip Clarke explained the rationale behind the policy change.

“We’re trying to cut down on the bureaucracy and the burden on groups, so we’ve looked at groups that are registered with the Charity Commission – that’s the regulatory body,” he said.

“[Registered charities] will do their annual returns to to the Charity Commission. We’ll do that check with the Charity Commission.

“It means there’ll be a far lighter touch in terms of the requirements, and any application submission that they’ll make for the incoming year’s round of grants.”

Under the new policy, all grant claims must now be claimed within three months of the end of the financial year the money was awarded – i.e. by June 30. Claims received after this time will not be considered for payment.

Mr Clarke explained: “We’ve been more flexible in the past, but now we’re recognising that we’ve been too flexible in extending that to a far longer time than need be.

“If groups can’t close out their their claims by that time, there are obviously some issues there, so we’re hoping to get all their claims in by the deadline of June 30.”