Countryside Stewardship facilitation fund Application Form€¦ · Web viewCertain questions have a set word limit any wording in addition to this will be removed before the application

Countryside Stewardship facilitation fundApplication form Before completing this form you must read the guide to Countryside Stewardship facilitation funding and satisfy yourself that you are eligible to apply.

For the application to be eligible for funding you must be able to answer yes to All of the eligibility criteria. Read Annex 1: Eligibility and selection criteria of the Guide to Countryside Stewardship: Facilitation Fund 2019.

Certain questions have a set word limit any wording in addition to this will be removed before the application is assessed.

All documents need to be signed with a wet signature. We can accept scanned wet signatures so long as the Facilitator keeps the original. Please check the scanned information can be read before submitting the application.

You will need to register as an applicant or obtain the required permission on Rural Payments from your organisation before submitting this application form.

When to submit your applicationYou must submit your application by 4th October 2019.

How to submit your applicationPlease send your completed application form and any supporting information by email to:

[email protected].

In the title of the email include ‘CSFF Application then add your SBI number’.

Get help with your applicationContact us if you need more help with your application by emailing [email protected] or calling us on 03000 200 301

CS18 v2.0 (CSFFAP v2.0) Page 1 of 23

Defra - Natural England - Rural Payments Agency - The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe investing in rural areas

mailto:[email protected]



https://www.gov.uk/rural-payments

https://www.gov.uk/rural-payments

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/facilitation-fund-2019-countryside-stewardship/annex-1-eligibility-and-selection-criteria

Section 1: Applicants Details1. Your details

SBI number

Name

Business Name/Organisation

Address

Town County

Postcode Phone Number

Email address

Website address

(if you have one)

2. Do you have any particular communication needs? eg. text phone, sign language, large print, audiotape or Braille.

No If yes, please specify

3. Do you facilitate any other CS Facilitation Fund Groups? Yes No

If Yes, please provide the group reference number(s)



4. Are you applying in partnership with others? Yes No

If yes, give details of your partnership and the roles the other partners will play (eg Who is the lead partner?)

5. Do you work for an organisation? Yes No

If yes, give details of your organisation

6. Has your organisation formally agreed to you applying for this funding? You will also need to have your application counter-signed and have relevant permissions set up on Rural Payments.

Yes No



Section 2: Your experience 7. Detail any experience or qualifications that you have of bringing people together to act

cooperatively, of agriculture, forestry, water management, ecology and Countryside Stewardship.

7.1.Experience of bringing people together to act cooperatively (max 1350 characters, please note if you exceed this limit any excess words will be deleted).

7.2. Qualifications/experience in agriculture, forestry, water management and/or ecology (max 1350 characters with bullet point headings. Please note if you exceed this limit any excess words will be deleted).



7.3. Experience of the objectives covered by Countryside Stewardship (max 1350 characters with bullet point headings. Please note if you exceed this limit any excess words will be deleted).

7.4.Please provide two independent references with your application (one of these can be from NE if appropriate) who can confirm this experience and outcomes achieved. These may be subject to checks, so please make sure they include their contact information (e-mail address and phone number).

Have you obtained two references? Yes No



Section 3 - Your groupYour application will only be considered if: your group members (group members must be eligible to enter into land management

agreements under Countryside Stewardship, or have an existing agreement under a predecessor scheme) manage land that is sufficient in size to deliver the Countryside Stewardship priorities in the statements of prioities and combined cover a minimum of 2,000ha (unless the area fits a smaller obvious environmental boundary); and

the land managed by your group members is spread across a minimum of four adjoining or largely adjoining holdings1, (a common is treated as one holding for the purpose of this funding and can join with non-commons to create the land area of the group) managed by different people, unless it can be demonstrated that cooperation is required across more dispersed holdings to deliver the local Countryside Stewardship priorities from the statements of priorities.

8. When was your group established?We will support newly established groups and existing ones as long as their members are undertaking activities new to them.

Month Year

9. How many members will be included in your group?

10.Who are the farmers, foresters and/or other land managers that have agreed to receive your facilitation support?

Complete all the required details in Annex 1 for each group member (group member details must to be FULLY completed and signed. Incomplete details could lead to the member not being eligible to be part of the group). You can use the Annex 1 continuation form if you need to add more member details.

How many additional sheets have you added at Annex 1?

1A holding is all the land managed by an applicant in England for agricultural and/or woodland activities. Where that holding or property is made up of geographically dispersed production or management units across England these can be entered separately



https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/countryside-stewardship-statements-of-priorities



11.How will you and the group take ownership and work together to develop the cooperation required to achieve their objectives - what roles will the members of the group have? (Max 1350 characters. Please note if you exceed this limit the excess words will be deleted).

12.Does your group already have an agreement in place to cover how it operates and deals with disputes etc?

Yes No

If yes, please include a copy of the agreement with your application.

If no, please prepare an agreement with your group members and submit it with your application.

You will need to have this agreement in place by the time you apply and ensure each member receives a copy.



Section 4: Countryside Stewardship priorities and areas of activity

13.What is the total area of the holdings covered by the group? Ha

Please provide clearly annotated map/s, such as an Ordnance Survey, google electronic map or equivalent map of the land area showing

the grid references that the group covers;

the name of the person who manages that land (group member) with their SBI and farm name; and

the size of their individual holding.13.1. If the total combined area of holdings is smaller than 2,000ha, please describe it

and how it achieves the appropriate Countryside Stewardship priorities in the statements of priorities.

14.Have all members confirmed by completing Annex 1 that they either have management control for the life time of the group (3 Years) or provided their landlord(s) consent?

Yes No

14.1. If group members do not own the land have they:(1) informed their landlord(s) that they will be participating in the group and (2) confirmed that their landlord(s) is/are agreeable to their participation by providing you with a written consent letter, which must be submitted with this application.

Yes No




15.Which National Character Area(s) (NCA) does the application cover and which Countryside Stewardship priorities from the CS statements of priorities for the NCA(s) will your members deliver? Please indicate the synergies between them, If relevant (max 1500 characters. Please note if you exceed this limit the excess words will be deleted).




16.What new activities do your group members plan to undertake as a result of acting cooperatively?

We want to know a) how a group will provide more benefits than without a group;

b) how will these benefits be provided; and

c) what are the longer term aspirations.

List the added benefits to the delivery of Countryside Stewardship priorities in the statements of priorities (max 1500 characters. Please note if you exceed this limit the excess words will be deleted).





17.What potential outcomes, wider benefits and added value will your group aspire to achieve by 2022 as a result of collaboration? (Max 1500 characters. Please note if you exceed this limit the excess words will be deleted).



Section 5 : Your proposed service18.What services will you provide for your group and what do you seek to achieve?The transfer of knowledge and expertise on a one-to-many basis to secure better practice is likely to be a core element of these actvities.

Please provide a plan detailing the training and advice and how you will deliver these. You must specify how this knowledge and expertise is directly required for the Group’s delivery of the Countryside Stewardship priorities in the statements of priorities (max 1500 characters with bullet point headings. Please note if you exceed this limit the excess words will be deleted).

Please note that the costs for the intended activities are required on Annex 2 (Budget Outline).

Please complete annex 2 (Budget Outline), setting out a costed work program for the activities/services referenced in Question 18 for the intended length of your agreement.

19.Will you be relying on a sub-contractor to provide training to fulfil any of the knowledge and expertise needs? (If you do this you must comply with the requirements as set out in the Guide to Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Funding Annex 3).

Yes No



https://www.gov.uk/guidance/facilitation-fund-2019-countryside-stewardship/annex-3-requirements-for-knowledge-and-expertise-provision

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/facilitation-fund-2019-countryside-stewardship/annex-3-requirements-for-knowledge-and-expertise-provision


20.What engagement have you had with other initiatives (e.g. Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF), Catchment Partnerships and Local Nature Parnerships) and groups in your local area that are delivering Countryside Stewardship priorities from the statements of priorities?

Describe what steps you will take to ensure that there is coherence with other initiatives on delivering the priorities from the statements of priorities? (Max 1350 characters. Please note if you exceed this limit the excess words will be deleted).





21. Is your group receiving any other funding, or are you planning to secure funding on behalf of your group, from sources outside of Countryside Stewardship that support delivery of your group’s ambition?

Yes No

If yes, what are those sources and how will this be used to help deliver the group’s Countryside Stewardship priorities (max 1000 characters. Please note if you exceed this limit the excess words will be deleted).



22.Does your group wish you to broaden it’s membership?Please provide details of those you are likely to approach and how they could contribute to the delivery of the Countryside Stewardship priorities for your group (max 1000 characters. Please note if you exceed this limit the excess words will be deleted) Please provide us with a map showing their location.



Section 6: Project financial information

23.The table below should summarise the detailed budget at Annex 2.(Read ‘How much could successful applicants receive?’ in Section 4 of the Guide to Countryside Stewardship: Facilitation Fund 2019.

Summary 2020£

2021£

2022£

Grand total £ 2020 - 2022

A. Running costs of facilitating the cooperation within your group, including your salary costs

B. Direct costs associated with the project set out in a detailed plan, including the transfer of knowledge and expertise where this is directly required for the Group’s delivery of the Countryside Stewardship priorities in the targeting statement(s)

C. Total of funding applied for (A and B)

Check that all totals are correct.Note that quarterly progress reports and evidence of expenditure are required to support claims.



https://www.gov.uk/guidance/facilitation-fund-2019-countryside-stewardship/how-much-could-successful-applicants-receive

24.Are you able to reclaim VAT costs from HM Revenue and Customs?

No – no costs

Yes – all costs what is your VAT registaration number?

Partially –what VAT can you reclaim and on what items?

It is up to you to determine what VAT you are able to reclaim, if any

We will not fund reclaimable VAT

If you cannot reclaim VAT from HM Revenue and Customs all costs should include VAT

Statutory authority fundingWe cannot fund any expenditure that is incurred prior to the agreement being signed and can only fund projects which go beyond existing legal or statutory duties. This funding is only available to fund non-statutory duties (i.e. not for work or services that would normally be provided by a statutory authority, such as a local authority.)

25.Are you applying for funding that goes beyond existing legal or statutory duties?

Yes No



Section 7: Finishing your application

I declare that:

The information given on this application form and in any other documentation that supports this application is accurate;

I/my organisation have read the Applicant’s guidance and understand that the guidance, including the scheme requirements, terms and conditions set out therein, will form part of any agreement with The Rural Payments Agency that arises from this application;

I understand that, if I/we make any materially misleading statements (whether deliberate or accidental) at any stage during the application process, or if I/we withhold any serious information, The Rural Payments Agency could judge that this grant application is invalid and I/we will be liable to repay any grant money that I/we have received;

I have/My organisation has the power to accept a grant subject to conditions, and to repay the grant if The Rural Payments Agency decides that I/we have not met the grant conditions;

The original wording and structure of this application form as it was originally provided has not been altered, deleted or added to in any way;

I/My organisation will take all reasonable precautions to ensure that grant money I/we have received will not be misused or misappropriated in any way. I understand that The Rural Payments Agency will take legal action to recover any misappropriated funds;

I/ My organisation will comply with all relevant legislation, such as health and safety regulations and have appropriate public liability and other insurances to undertake this role;

I/my organization confirm that I/we will provide information about the group’s activities and the difference this is making on the ground to help Defra, The Rural Payments Agency and Natural England monitor the success of Countryside Stewardship;

I/my organisation will comply with applicable law about the processing of personal data and privacy, including the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. Prior to sharing any personal data with Defra, The Rural Payments Agency and/or Natural England in connection with this grant, I/my organisation will provide the individuals to whom the personal data relates with the privacy information as published under: rpa privacy notices on GOV.UK;

I/My organisation have not/are not receiving any other funding, other than that declared in the application form, to support the project and if this changes, I/we will notify The Rural Payments Agency immediately;

If any information in the application form changes, I/my organisation will notify The Rural Payments Agency in writing immediately.

Tick this box to confirm that you are authorised by the group/partnership to sign the declaration and send this application to us and that you understand our obligations under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and Freedom of Information Act 2000.



https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rpa-privacy-notices

Section 7 Continued: Finishing your application

Please complete the signature panel below

Title First name Surname Signature Date

If you work as part of an organisation please ask the person who is responsible for agreeing your participation as a facilitator to sign below.

By signing this application you are confirming that you agree for the person named above to submit an application to us on behalf of your organisation and that you will ensure that they have the relevant permissions set up on Rural Payments.

Title First name Surname Signature Date

Position Held

Please confirm what supporting documents you are including with your application submission

Supporting Document Number Included

Group member details (Annex 1)

Budget Outline (Annex 2) Plan of the services you will provide for training and advice.

Group agreement (Q12) including how the group operates and deals with disputes, signed and dated by all group members.

Maps and supplementary information to support maps (Qs13 & 22)

Landowner consent(s), if required (Q14)

Two independent references (with letterhead if from organisation).

Other documents - Please specify



Annex 1 – Group member details

Please ensure that all group members:

Confirm if they either have management control for the duration of the group, or that they have informed their landlord and that their landlord has confirmed in writing that they are are content for them to be a group member.

Provide a signature to confirm that they have seen your application and support it.

Member name Phone number

Email address

Member SBI SBI of land if different

Do you have management control? Yes No

If you do not own the land:

Have you informed the land owner that you are joining a facilitation group?

You must do this before you can become a member

Yes They must provide their consent in writing which must be submitted with the application.

List existing agri-env ageement refs with Expiry dates

Have you seen the application and support it? Yes No

Have you seen and signed the group agreement? Yes No

Member Signature

Date




Email address










Member Signature

Date




Email address










Member Signature

Date




Email address










Member Signature

Date

If you need to add more member details use the Annex 1 continuation form.

How many members are in your group?

Name of facilitator Date of completion



Annex 2 – Budget Outline

Please set out a costed work program of your activities in the tables below. Please ensure the activities referenced align to those stated in Question 18 of your application.

Quarterly Funding profile (Years 1 – 3)Year 1 - 2020 Jan – Mar

(£)Apr – Jun(£)

Jul – Sep(£)

Oct – Dec(£)

Facilitator salary and project management costs

Facilitator travel and subsistence

Meeting expenses

Other training providers

Venue costs

Training materials

Other

Total

Overall total for 2020

Year 2 – 2021



Meeting expenses


Venue costs

Training materials

Other

Total




Year 3 – 2022



Meeting expenses


Venue costs

Training materials

Other

Total




Documents

Countryside Stewardship facilitation fund Application Form€¦ · Web viewCertain questions have a set word limit any wording in addition to this will be removed before the application