Funding

A variety of potential sources exist for financial assistance to set up and/or sustain a transport scheme or service. The following should be regarded as an introduction rather than an exhaustive list of sources.

Delegated Fund

The East Sussex Rural Transport Partnership can award a total of £5,000 per annum for the support of small transport projects in the rural areas of East Sussex.

Applications are assessed on a quarterly basis by a panel of RTP members. The next three dates for assessment are 7 May, 7 August and 7 November 2003. Each quarter £1,250 will be available for projects/services, if not all this money is awarded, then it will be rolled over to the next quarter.

Your project should:

• Propose the provision of a new or improved transport service or facility, primarily for the benefit of people living in a rural area of East Sussex, to meet clearly defined needs. (Rural is defined, for the purposes of this application, as a settlement of less than 10,000 population)
• Demonstrate wide community support
• Not undermine any existing routes or services
• Request no more than £1,000 in total, the amount being no more than 75% of the costs; you can count volunteer time against your 25%
  contribution if appropriate. (However in exceptional circumstances
  100% funding can be given)
• Show that the scheme is unlikely to proceed without assistance from the Delegated Fund
• Be primarily for start-up and running costs, including publicity
• Not include vehicle purchase unless existing vehicles in the area are shown to be unsuitable
• Further the aim and objectives of East Sussex Rural Transport Partnership

Here are examples of the sort of transport initiatives to have attracted funding in the past:

Community minibus services
This service may take a group of people to town for shopping, the doctor's, socialising or to the cinema, for example. This approach is best suited to once or twice a week travel for those who can be flexible about day and time. The service could either be door-to-door or run to a set route. We can help you find a vehicle and provide driver training, but you would probably need at least a couple of volunteer drivers and possibly a volunteer co-ordinator.

Voluntary car schemes
Volunteer drivers use their own cars to provide a pre-arranged lift and are repaid mileage expenses. Passengers ring a volunteer co-ordinator to book the lift for a journey which they cannot make by public transport.

A transport survey
Your village or parish may not be aware of the transport needs of its residents. A survey would provide valuable information that might form the basis for another application for funding through either the Rural Transport Partnership Fund or the Parish Transport Grant, both administered by the Countryside Agency.

Better publicity for an existing scheme
A publicity campaign comprising, for example distribution and printing of eye-catching leaflets and posters, or a display table at a local public event could allow a transport scheme to make contact with those who need their service but are not aware of its existence.

This is not an exhaustive list - there maybe other options which might be more appropriate for your needs.

Should applications exceed the money available, those which best support the aims and objectives of the East Sussex Rural Transport Partnership in the most rural locations will be chosen.

If you would like either assistance in clarifying or developing ideas, or an application form, please email philip.ayers@ruralsussex.org.uk

Parish Transport Grant

The Countryside Agency operates this scheme with the aim of helping rural communities, through their Parish or Town Councils, carry out a wide range of small scale projects to meet local transport needs.

The scheme will run until 31 March 2004 and applications can be made at any time of year. A wide range of projects can be supported, including:

• Purchasing cars, mopeds or minibuses for community use, such as car sharing or moped loan arrangements for 'Wheels 2 Work' schemes
• Help with setting up new social car schemes or car clubs
  
• Give support to establish new community transport schemes
• Schemes for taxi sharing or vouchers for taxis
  
• Funds for a local bus operator to re-route a service through a village
  
• Projects to promote walking or cycling, such as a 'Walking Bus' to escort children walking to and from school
  
• Expand an existing service to make it more viable
  
• Offer new and varied ways of providing information on transport, eg. a village timetable
  
• Surveys to gauge local transport needs (up to £1,000)

Each parish council can apply for a maximum grant of £10,000 per parish. One parish or a number of parishes for larger scale activities may apply for a smaller grant or several smaller grants up to £10,000.

The applicant must provide 5% of the total project costs in cash and 20% from in kind contribution. The grant can fund up to 75% of the remaining projects costs, whether capital or revenue.

If you would like support in developing a project, please contact:
Kim Lanning
Transport and Access Officer
Sussex Rural Community Council
212 High Street
LEWES BN7 2NH
Tel: 01273 407339
Email: kim.lanning@srcc.org.uk

Rural Transport Partnership Scheme

The scheme, administered by the Countryside Agency, supports community-based transport initiatives. These need to secure a long term improvement in rural people's access to jobs, services and social activities, as well as enhance visitors' access to the countryside. Any organisation, business or community can apply for grants to identify and deliver transport projects.

The RTP scheme runs initially until 31 March 2004 and applications can be made at any time of year. A wide range of projects can be supported, including:

• Demand responsive services, eg. Dial-a-Rides
  
• Transport co-ordination projects
  
• Improved transport for employment, regeneration, training and education
  
• Car share schemes
  
• Extensions to existing bus routes
  
• Rail, walking and cycling projects
  
• Post buses
  
• Green travel plans
  
• Promotional and awareness raising
  
• Transport information projects

Grants up to £250,000 can be awarded for each eligible capital and revenue project, of which 75% of the costs can be provided by funding. The remaining 25% needs to come from local source, of which at least 10% must be raised in cash, the remainder can be 'in kind' in the form of voluntary or professional help or services given free.

In the first instance, for guidance and advice, please contact:
Philip Ayers
East Sussex Rural Transport Partnership
212 High Street
LEWES BN7 2NH
Tel: 01273 407329
Email: philip.ayers@ruralsussex.org.uk

Other sources

Transport grants from the Community Fund are awarded through the National Lotteries Charities Board. A number of community transport schemes have received funding from the National Lottery.
For details of current funding programmes, check their website www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk or contact the Funding Hotline on
Tel: 0845 275 000

Smaller organisations can apply to the HM Customs and Excise Vehicle Pound at Dover in Kent, for a second-hand vehicle at no cost from their collection of impounded vehicles. Only registered charities are free to make an approach to HM Customs and Excise.

There are numerous other grant-making bodies and trusts that may consider a funding application for a transport scheme. Your local Council for Volunteer Services (CVS) can advise you on suitable bodies to approach in the local area or contact the East Sussex Rural Transport Partnership for regional bodies.

Supportive organisations: for those living in the Rother District or in the Wealden Parishes that butt onto the Rother District, it is possible to make applications to the Rural Priority Area (RPA) who operate a funding mechanism. The RPA also have access to funding through the Leader+ Scheme, a European Union funded programme running from 2000-2006 to promote the development of rural areas.

For advice on what to do next and the suitability of your project, please contact:
Philip Ayers
East Sussex Rural Transport Partnership
212 High Street
LEWES BN7 2NH
Tel: 01273 407329
Email: philip.ayers@ruralsussex.org.uk

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