A number of amendments have been made to Roscommon County Council’s Community and Amenity Fund Scheme.
At a meeting of the Housing, Social, Cultural and Community Strategic Policy Committee (SPC ) on December 9 2008, following a presentation by SPC chairman Cllr Anthony Geraghty, councillors agreed that the scheme needed to be revised in order to make it more transparent and easier to measure.
The fund is available as grant aid to community groups and voluntary organisations wishing to undertake capital amenity projects, for public use, in their local areas.
Under the revised scheme, grants awarded will not exceed 75 per cent of the invoiced cost of the project to a maximum of €12,750. The previous figure was 50 per cent, meaning the new scheme allows groups to claim 25 per cent more of the cost of the project.
In addition, according to the amendments, the maximum grant will be the amount allocated or 75 per cent of the value of invoices or receipts submitted, whichever is the lower. This means groups can claim up to 75 per cent of the invoiced cost, making it easier to measure than the previous system.
The closing date for receipt of applications is to be brought forward to February 1 every year, allowing groups extra time to get works completed and invoiced by the end of the year.
However for 2009 only, the closing date for applications will be the end of March.
