Newark and Sherwood District Council cabinet agree to continue budgeting for Community Grant Scheme

£100,000-a-year is once again to be budgeted to continue to give grants to community groups — after the scheme supported 16 initiatives in its last phase.

On Tuesday (December 10) Newark and Sherwood District Council’s cabinet voted to continue to budget for the Community Grant Scheme until 2028-29.

It provides funding opportunities for groups which combat issues such as anti-social behaviour and cost-of-living struggles, or benefit the climate and environment, among others.

So far in 2024-25, the first round of applications resulted in 16 groups receiving shares of £41,742.10 from the grant fund and an additional £49,000 from the Shared Prosperity Fund.

These included football clubs, food clubs, allotment associations, youth groups and more.

Jack Kellas questioned if, going forward, applications could also be open to small parish councils who may struggle to raise enough precept to fund community projects.

Paul Taylor said he was happy to have a discussion about it outside of the meeting, but he “strongly believed in most cases parish councils can levy a precept.”

Parish meetings, the smallest form of local governance, are eligible to apply.

Members agreed to continue to budget for the scheme.