Common Good Fund - Community Grant Scheme

Background

The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (the Act) imposes duties on local authorities in relation to common good property. Part 8 of the Act seeks to increase transparency about the existence of common good assets and to ensure there is community involvement in decisions taken about their identification, use and disposal.

On 25 October 2022 the Council Executive agreed the governance arrangement for common good property owned by the local authority which has been passed down through local government reorganisation, from former burghs. These burghs would have received it as a gift or purchased it. It includes land and buildings, and movable items such as furniture and art. It may include cash where property has been sold, and income received from the leasing of common good property.

The former burghs are:

1. Armadale
2. Bathgate
3. Linlithgow 
4. Whitburn.

For more detail on the Council's Governance arrangements please see, West Lothian Council Common Good Property - West Lothian Council

One of the five areas covered in the governance arrangements was to provide an application process for communities to apply for funding to support projects that originate in or are based in or which will benefit the former burgh areas and residents there. Maps of the four burgh boundaries can be viewed below and the areas in which projects must benefit.

• Map of Common Good Area - Armadale [1MB]
• Map of Common Good Area - Bathgate [2MB]
• Map of Common Good Area - Linlithgow [2MB]
• Map of Common Good Area - Whitburn [2MB]

Common Good Grant Scheme

A grant distribution scheme is open for each area / former burgh and any funding that may become available will be promoted on this page. If and when any monies become available in one or more of the burghs the amount will be promoted locally within the community covered and available until any monies are fully distributed.

The small grant application form [77KB] is for projects up to £2,000 in value and main grant application form [76KB]  is for projects over £2,000.

Funding restrictions:

• Can support both capital and revenue projects
• Applicants can apply for 100% of costs, or a percentage;
• Projects are required to address identified local need and demonstrate the alignment within the four eligible areas. These should align to one or more of the Council's eight key priorities, show the local need and support.
• Projects must clearly demonstrate the impact they will have on the local community within the burgh boundaries. It should be noted that the eligible areas are not the existing town boundaries but the former burgh boundary.  

Who can apply

Applications will be accepted from properly constituted third sector organisations, including the local Community Council. Where a project is solely capital this includes recognised non-profit organisations for example Business Improvement Districts where these exist. Applications may also be accepted from West Lothian Council for capital project where community support is evidenced.   

More detail is provided in the guidance [64KB]  and application forms.

How will I know if funding is available in my area?  

When or if funding becomes available this will be promoted within the relevant community. Applications can be submitted at any time and will be reviewed by officers against the funding criteria at the time of receipt and submitted to the next relevant Local Area Committee for a decision. Where an application is seeking more than £50,000 this will go to the Council Executive for final decision following consultation with the LAC.

To allow time for officers to assess and prepare reports applications must be received no later than three weeks prior to any Local Area Committee for consideration at that meeting.

Should money remain available any new applications will go to the subsequent Local Area Committee until any funds are exhausted.

The Head of Finance and Property Services will have overall responsibility for the scheme and delegated responsibility for the funding as part of the overall governance of the Common Good Fund.

Linlithgow

Currently only one town has funding available for community projects. This is the former Royal Burgh of Linlithgow with £18,408.17 held by West Lothian Council. Therefore, applications can now be submitted for this funding.

Key closing dates are detailed below: