What Section 106 funding is

Under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, as amended contributions can be sought from developers towards the cost of providing community and social infrastructure. This money is to reduce the impact a development has on an area.

This funding is commonly known as Section 106 funding, and can be applied for to fund community projects.

Sport and activity projects the funding can support

Section 106 funding is available for capital projects only. Funds may only be spent on new facilities or improvements to facilities.

Funds may be used for the provision, improvement or adaptation of:

• indoor and outdoor sports facilities and associated required facilities (eg changing rooms and canopies)
• outdoor leisure and recreational provision, including amenity green spaces, natural green spaces, pathways, parks and recreation grounds, and youth activity areas

Examples of eligible projects include:

• installation of an artificial turf pitch
• upgrading of a play area with new equipment
• purchase of land for additional pitches
• extension of a community hall
• informal youth facilities such as ball courts, skate parks, youth shelters etc
• new car parking areas if directly related to a sport or recreation facility

When planning and building facilities and carrying out projects, applicants are advised to consider the best practice guidance provided by Sport England and any relevant national governing bodies.

What can't be supported by Section 106 funds

Costs related to revenue expenditure or costs which mostly relate to the maintenance of existing facilities such as minor repairs, replacement or redecoration are unlikely to be funded.

Section 106 funding isn't an opportunity to solve existing deficiencies, as these should be planned into a club's budget planning process.

Planning permission and architect drawings need to be paid from club funds. Movable equipment items are also excluded from the scheme.

Examples of projects that are unlikely to be eligible for funding include:

• patch repairs to an artificial turf pitch
• goal posts or other movable sports equipment
• replacement boilers
• items or projects which only benefit an individual

Amount of funding available

The amount of funding available for each area will depend on the amount of money received by us through the planning process. There may be some areas where no money is available until a new development comes forward and brings in money.

There's no upper limit to the funding that can be applied for, although this will be limited to how much is available. The assessment panel can also make the decision to offer part of the funding requested, rather than the whole amount.

Funding can't be increased if project costs increase.

Match funding

Funds may be awarded for an entire project, particularly for smaller applications, but applicants are encouraged to seek funding from other grant bodies and community sources as well. Additional contributions demonstrate wider partnership support, commitment to the scheme and increase overall value for money.

Applications that include an element of match funding will be assessed more favourably than if there was no match funding.

Applications that show a cash contribution from their own funds will also be seen favourably.

Who can apply

The application eligibility for a Section 106 grant is as follows:

• The project must provide improved or increased community or social infrastructure.
• Backdated funding isn't allowed - the funding can't pay for work which has already been completed.
• The organisation must be based in Barnsley. If the organisation is based on the border of Barnsley with another borough, 80% of the users or beneficiaries must be Barnsley residents.
• The applying organisation must be a local voluntary, charity, community, or not-for-profit organisation that is properly constituted with it's own bank account.
• If an organisation has annual subscriptions, joining fees and session charges these should be reasonably priced.
• We're required by law to pay due regard to advancing equality of opportunity, fostering good relations, and removing discrimination for people sharing protected characteristics, as set out in the public sector equality duty (at section 149 of the Equality Act 2010). We won't support projects that don't support the aims of the public sector equality duty, for example a funding bid for building works that doesn't consider the needs of disabled people.
• Organisations must have a safeguarding policy for children and vulnerable adults, insurance, and health and safety policies in place, where appropriate.
• Applicants must establish if planning permission is required before applying for the funds.
• If the work valued over £20,000, applicants need to submit three quotes for the work.

How applications are assessed

You'll be asked to complete an application template. This is designed to ensure that all appropriate information is gathered to enable a fair assessment.

The template assesses against the elements of:

• general club information
• whether the project will help towards delivery of a council objective
• financial information
• deliverability
• usage
• community support

No two projects are the same. They're assessed against a variety of evidence including local community needs. Therefore, an application for two projects similar in nature could be awarded in one area but rejected in another.

When funds will be available

The Section 106 agreement will specify trigger points when we can collect payments from the developer, eg when the 100th house is sold. Each agreement has different trigger points.

The panel may consider an application before the money has been received by us if the development is underway. However, if the application is successful, a funding agreement won't be drafted until we've collected the payment from the developer. Therefore, work shouldn't be started by the club until the funding agreement has been signed.

Applications in principle

Applications can be agreed in principle while waiting for confirmation of match funding, planning permission etc. However, the project must commence within 12 months of this agreement.

Monitoring requirements

We ask successful applicants to produce an impact report on completion of the project.

Information must be provided about:

• which groups of people and how many people have benefited from the project
• how the success will be celebrated
• if there will be any publicity associated with the project

We may use the information provided on our social media channels.

How to apply

Fill in our online form below if you're interested in applying for Section 106 funding and we'll contact you to discuss your project informally. This will include an initial assessment of whether the application meets the relevant criteria and if other sources of funding have been sought.

If you meet the criteria and funding is available, we'll send you the application template to complete. Once complete, we'll work with you to submit your application to the Section 106 panel for a decision. The panel meet every two months.