Purpose

The Community Infrastructure
Levy (CIL) is a charge which can be levied by local authorities on
new development in their area. It is an important tool for local
authorities to help them deliver the infrastructure needed to
support development in their area. The CIL Regulations 2010 as
amended, part 7 state that 15% of the total CIL contributions
collected are to be allocated for spending in agreement with local
communities – the Neighbourhood Improvement Strand
(NIS).

In October 2017, Cabinet approved a crowdfunding model as the
preferred option for the future governance of the CIL Neighbourhood
Improvement Strand (NIS).

Crawley Borough Council used monies collected through the
Neighbourhood Improvement Strand to create the Neighbourhood
Improvement fund. There was a requirement for match funding from
the groups and the council would pledge up to 50 per cent of the
total project costs, capped at £5,000. In March 2022, the
match funding element was reduced to 25%.

In November 2022, Cabinet approved, subject to public consultation,
the implementation of a new “hybrid” model, which
retained £75,000 from the CIL NIS, to maintain the
Neighbourhood Improvement Fund with an annual contribution of
£25,000, from the CIL NIS, until March 2025.

The outcome of the 4-week public engagement exercise was that the
Council only received one response from Crawley Community Action
who expressed support for the amendments to the governance of the
CIL Neighbourhood Improvement Strand; no comments were received
from any other organisations / individuals from the wider
community.

Therefore, the following, agreed by Cabinet in November 2022
(PES420), has duly been implemented:
• Allocate £75,000 of CIL Neighbourhood Improvement
Strand monies to the Neighbourhood Improvement Fund, until
31st
March 2025.

Cabinet also agreed in November 2022 to delegate authority to the
Head of Economy and Planning, in consultation with the Cabinet
Member for Planning and Economic Development, to implement any
procedural modifications to the CIL Neighbourhood Improvement
Strand, including in response to the public engagement
exercise.

This Significant Operational Decision to be taken by the Head of
Economy and Planning involves a procedural modification to the CIL
Neighbourhood Improvement Strand, in amending the Neighbourhood
Improvement Fund criteria to no longer require a grant applicant to
provide match funding contributions towards the delivery of their
neighbourhood improvement project.

Neighbourhood Improvement Fund and amendment to eligibility
criteria - Rationale:

Currently the criteria states that the Council will fund up to 75%
of the total funding target for a neighbourhood improvement
project, capped at £5,000. To be considered to receive a
contribution from Crawley's Neighbourhood Improvement Fund,
applicants therefore currently need to prove that they can fund at
least 25% of the costs of their project using “match
funding” from their own money or finances from third parties.
The requirement to find match funding to finance at least 25% of
project costs is a real barrier to community organisation
applicants who find it difficult to access funding at the best of
times economically. The current economic climate makes that
challenge even more significant. The removal of the match funding
requirement would also bring the Neighbourhood Improvement Fund in
line with other Council funding schemes, and it should encourage
more neighbourhood-based community organisations to apply.

Content

To amend the eligibility criteria and remove the
need for Neighbourhood Improvement Fund applicants to generate
match funding.  This decision was taken
in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic
Development.