CIL Reports

The Parish Council is in receipt of funds arising from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) on the building of new houses.

CIL is a planning charge, introduced by the Planning Act 2008 as a tool for local authorities in England and Wales to help deliver infrastructure to support the development of their area.

The CIL Regulations state that a Town/Parish Council must use CIL receipts passed to it in accordance with Regulation 59A or 59B to support the development of the local council’s area, or any part of that area, by funding:
(a) the provision, improvement, replacement, operation or maintenance of infrastructure; or
(b) anything else that is concerned with addressing the demands that development places on an area.
‘Infrastructure’ is a broadly defined in the Town and Country Planning Act 2008.

There are typically three broad categories of infrastructure:

• physical infrastructure – highways, transport links, cycleways, energy supply, water, flood alleviation, waste management
• social infrastructure – education, health, social care, emergency services, art and culture, sports halls, community halls
• green infrastructure – parks, woodlands, play areas, public open space

This gives the Parish Council considerable freedom to spend its proportion of CIL on the things that address the impacts of development on the area though it should be noted that the expenditure should be on infrastructure and therefore capital expenditure on physical things like bus shelters, improvements to the village hall, new cycle paths. Unfortunately, CIL cannot be spent on grants, for example, to cover the costs of running community groups.

Providing CIL is spent in accordance with the above, CIL monies may be used to provide match funding with other income streams. CIL can be used collaboratively with community interest companies or other providers to make the most efficient use of funding to benefit the community. CIL money received by the Parish Council must be spent within 5 years.

The Taunton Road / Hither Mead development on its own will probably lead to CIL payable to the Parish Council in excess of £500,000.

Potential projects to benefit from these funds were set out in the Bishops Lydeard and Cothelstone Neighbourhood Plan (NP) and following a consultation with local residents in 2019 a further list of projects that are a priority for the Parish has been developed. These include:

• Improved maintenance and signage of public foot and cycle paths including a safer crossing of the A358 for those walking the “Whiskey Trail at Cedar Falls”.
• Improvements to the Bishops Lydeard Village Hall
• Improvements to the playground adjoining the Bishops Lydeard Village Hall
• Provision of additional green open space (which might include allotments) with connecting foot and cycle paths
• Support the provision of a cycle path connection to Taunton
• Provision of appropriately sited seating, particularly for the elderly
• Improvements to play area provision throughout Bishops Lydeard
• The provision of parking in the centre of Bishops Lydeard
• Improved road safety and implementation of a 20mph speed limit
• The provision of an adequate number of dog and litter bins
• Additional tree planting / landscaping
• Provision of facilities for young people
• Provision of the library service in the village
• Provision of Community Transport

Procedure:
An organisation or individual can apply to the Parish Council for funding for projects, which meet the requirements of CIL expenditure. Applications received which enable the delivery of any of the priority projects above will be considered more favourably than those that don’t.

Applications WILL NOT be considered from:

• Organisations or individuals intending to support or oppose any particular political party or to discriminate on the grounds of race, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or any disability. This is in accordance with the duty the Parish Council has to consider the following matters in the exercise of any of its functions: Equal Opportunities, Crime & Disorder, Health & Safety and Human Rights.
• Private organisations operated as a business to make a profit or surplus.
• Upward funders”, i.e. local groups whose fund raising is sent to their central HQ for redistribution.

Applications from religious groups will be considered where a clear benefit to the wider community can be demonstrated irrespective of their religious beliefs. Compliance with this requirement will need to be demonstrated throughout the project.

Applications from education, health or social service establishments will be considered where the organisation can demonstrate that it is working in partnership with other groups and where there are benefits to the wider community within the Parish.

If the application is from an organisation or group, the written aims and objectives, constitution and membership rules should be available for inspection by the Parish Council as part of the consideration of the application. In addition, an organisation must demonstrate that it is properly managed and able to run its affairs responsibly. The Parish Council may ask to inspect, as part of the consideration of an application the audited accounts or accounts that have been independently examined by a suitably qualified person, for the previous two financial years or, in the case of a newly formed organisation, a detailed budget and business plan. An organisation is required to have a bank account in its own name with two authorised representatives required to sign each cheque.

Individuals should reside in the Parish, have references in support of their application, and have a bank account.

All applications must demonstrate clearly how a grant will be of benefit to the local community within the Parish and comply with CIL expenditure requirements. Due account will be taken of the extent to which funding has been sought or secured from other sources or own fund-raising activities. Where other grant funding is available, match funding is expected. Further details of other organisations that may be supportive should be declared to the Council when the application is made.

Applications
To apply for a grant in the first instance the Parish Clerk should be contacted with an outline of the purpose and funding requirements. The application form is available here: Application Form Final

Applications will be considered on a quarterly basis by a committee of Parish Councillors. The committee will meet as soon as possible after the beginning of the quarter (1st January, 1st April, 1st July and 1st October). The committee also has the discretion to consider small or urgent applications as they arise. The committee will also monitor CIL receipts. The committee only acts in an advisory role. It will offer advice and recommendations to a full Parish Council meeting which will make the final decision.

Notes of the Community Infrastructure Levy Committee Meetings are available