Burton Pidsea Wind Farm Community Fund

What is the Burton Pidsea Community Wind Farm Fund?

EnergieKontor UK Limited was founded in 1999 and is a subsidiary of the German-based EnergieKontor UK Limited Group. Its UK team are based at Thorpe Park, Leeds with a remit to develop small and medium-sized on-shore wind projects throughout Great Britain. For further information visit the EnergieKontor UK Limited website:

EnergieKontor UK Ltd (external website)

In the East Riding EnergieKontor UK Limited operate two wind farms, one at Burton Pidsea and one at Withernwick. As part of the Burton Pidsea development's planning permission, granted in 2013, a commitment was made to create a community fund.

This fund, the Burton Pidsea Community Wind Farm Fund, receives an annual donation from EnergieKontor UK Limited. The amount of the donation is based on a formula of £2,000 per megawatt of the wind farm to a maximum of £20,400 per annum.

What is the area of benefit for the fund?

The area of benefit of the fund is the electoral wards of Mid-Holderness, North Holderness, South East Holderness and South West Holderness in the East Riding of Yorkshire, with a preference for appropriate initiatives within the proximity of the development.

The fund panel defined proximity to the development as a 5-kilometre radius of Burton Pidsea Post Office, HU12 9AX.

What types of activities will the fund support?

The criteria for the fund is 'to promote initiatives for the benefit of the community'. This means that the fund panel can consider any project that is not for profit and open to any member of the community to use or attend. If you have an idea and you are not sure please contact the fund administrator for advice .

Email ruralfunding@eastriding.gov.uk

Are there any activities that cannot be funded?

The following activities cannot be supported by the fund:

• Activities detrimental to the commercial operation of the wind farm
• Political or religious campaigns
• Statutory duties of the public body including the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Humberside Police, Fire and Rescue Services, the Coastguard, the Health Authority or Parish Council.

How can the money be spent?

The fund panel can distribute the money as:

• commissioning - where the fund panel devise a public benefit project and employ a group to deliver it
• donations - where no conditions are placed on the money given to a project
• grants - where conditions on use are placed on the money given to a project with timescales, milestones and reporting arrangements in place
• loans - where the money is spent and repaid at a later date.

Who can request funds?

Requests for funds are accepted from community groups, community organisations, companies, firms and societies, charities, parish councils, schools and churches. New groups or ideas for projects where a group does not currently exist can be considered. 

For further advice please contact the fund administrator:

Email: ruralfunding@eastriding.gov.uk

How much money can be applied for?

The fund panel welcomes larger applications up to a maximum value of £10,000. Part of the fund will be reserved for smaller projects. The fund panel welcomes smaller applications up to a maximum value £1,000.

Will the fund support 100% of the project costs?

The fund panel will look for evidence of the projects own contribution towards the costs, however, in certain circumstances 100% funding may be given.

The fund panel will look more favourably on projects that show their own contribution to costs. The contribution can be cash, donations, equipment loans, free use of land or buildings and/or volunteer time. As a guide the fund panel suggest 20% of total projects costs as a contribution.

How is the fund managed and who makes decisions about how it is spent?

The fund is managed by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the accountable body. The council is responsible for holding the money, reporting to the developer, receiving and checking applications, financial audits, processing of payments and providing the secretariats to the fund panel.

 Decisions on how the money is spent are made by a fund panel made up of  representatives from the following organisations:

• Burton Pidsea Parish Council
• Burstwick Parish Council
• Elstronwick Parish Council
• Halsham Parish Council
• Roos Parish Council
• A member of the Burton Pidsea Community
• East Riding of Yorkshire Council

• The Developer.

What are the deadlines and timescales?

The Fund will re-open in early 2019.

Applicants seeking smaller amounts of money up to £500 can apply at any time by completing the Community Chest Application form in the table below and emailing it to ruralfunding@eastriding.gov.uk.

What is the application process from start to finish?

1. The applicant completes the online application form and submits it electronically with any supporting evidence (quotes, permissions, governance document, bank statements). 
   
2. The online system acknowledges receipt of the application. 
   
3. The fund administrator carries out a technical appraisal of the application and requests any additional information required for clarification. 
   
4. The application is sent to the fund panel members. 
   
5. The fund panel members meet and make a decision. 
   
6. The fund administrator writes to unsuccessful applicants stating the decision and the reason. 
   
7. The fund administrator writes to success applicants offering fund and explaining any conditions that may apply. Enclosed with the offer of funding the administrator sends a pack detailing records that need to be kept and an End of Grant Report. 
   
8. Successful applicants write back accepting or declining the offer and the conditions.
   
9. Successful applicants submit an invoice for either part or all of the funding offer.
   
10. The administrator arranges payment (note: Payments can only be made directly into the applicants bank account. Payment Terms are normally 30 days). 
    
11. Successful applicants complete the project. 
    
12. Successful applicants submit the End of Project report, a final invoice for any remaining funding due and evidence that the project has been carried out.
    
13. The administrator checks the End of Project report and arranges any final payments.
    
14. The project is included in the Fund Annual report and presented at the Public Annual Review Meeting.

How do I submit an application for funding?

The applicant completes an online application form within the Flexi-Grant system and submits it electronically with supporting evidence. 

To access this system click on the link Flexi-Grant System (external East Riding website)

Guidance notes on how to complete the online application form are available on the Flexi-Grant system and can also be downloaded from the table below.

Supporting evidence consists of a minimum of:

• constitution, rules or governance documents
  
• latest annual audited or independently examined accounts
  
• most recent bank statements (all accounts no more than three months old)
  
• three comparable quotes from different suppliers for all individual items which cost £500 or more
  
• copies of relevant permissions/licences (Street Trading, Gambling, Planning Permission, Lease, Diocese faculty etc).
  

Other supporting evidence may be:  

• letters of support
  
• survey results
  
• reports
  
• related strategies.
  

If you have any queries please contact the fund by email: ruralfunding@eastriding.gov.uk