Due to a high number of Business Travel Network (BTN) members having been on leave last week we have extended the application deadline, the closing date for applications is now the 7 December 2018!
Capital grants are available to support businesses in the Bournemouth Borough Council and Dorset County Council areas with sustainable travel schemes and smarter working. Businesses must already be a member of the BTN to qualify, if you are not already a member, why not join the BTN! Grants can be used for infrastructure and facilities projects to support sustainable travel and smarter working.
Bournemouth Borough Council has a funding pot of £20,000 and Dorset County Council has a funding pot of £21,000 for capital grants.
Both Council’s will welcome applications up to £5000, however smaller applications would enable more businesses to benefit from the capital grant.
Ideas of what funding could be used for:
- Purchase and installation of teleconferencing facilities and software to reduce business travel
- Installation of EV charging points and/or car park alterations to support to installation of EV chargepoints
- cycle parking facilities
- lockers, showers and drying facilities for staff who walk/run/cycle to work
- car parking alterations to create dedicated car share spaces
- purchase of bikes / electric bikes to set up a pool bike scheme, for business travel
- Lighting/Security improvements on walking and cycling routes within your property
To qualify for a grant:
- you must already be a member of the Business Travel Network.
- your business premises must be located within the Bournemouth Borough Council boundary for the Bournemouth grant
- your business must be located in any of the following areas for the Dorset grant; Portland, Weymouth, Dorchester, Wimborne, Ferndown, Christchurch and the Aviation Business Parks at Bournemouth Airport.
- the project should support and encourage staff, customers and visitors to travel sustainably or work smarter
- your request for a grant should be within the range of £500 up to £5000 (including VAT)
- you must agree to help Bournemouth Borough Council/Dorset County Council and the Business Travel Network carry out a staff travel survey or supply travel to work data for your staff if requested
If you are successful
- Grants are paid in arears and as such you will need to be able to fund the project during delivery and then claim the grant back from the Council once the project has been completed.
- Therefore, you will need to:
- Have sufficient funds to cover the cost of the project until it is completed and you can claim the grant back
- Be set up as a Council supplier (if you have not invoiced the Council before you will be asked to complete a registration from)
- Wait for a purchase order from the Council before you can invoice for the grant amount
- Send an invoice to the Council against the relevant purchase order for the Gross grant amount
- Provide photographic evidence of the completed scheme and any other reasonable evidence as required
- Credit Bournemouth Borough Council/Dorset County Council and the
- Business Travel Network on any marketing or promotion of the scheme
- Agree to such press/social media releases that the council uses to promote the grant scheme
Match funding
As a condition of the Sustainable Travel Capital Grant schemes, your organisation should consider offering match funding, a greater weighting will be given to applications that include an element of financial commitment. Financial match funding can include other grants received, such as OLEV grants, which are directly related to your project.
However, it is not compulsory to include a match-funding financial commitment. Non-financial match funding could be offered instead in the form of appropriate additional sustainable travel initiatives. These initiatives should relate to the project in your grant application, however, suitable proposals that do not relate directly to the project will still be considered.
Examples of suitable non- financial match commitments are:
- Cycle training sessions for your staff
- Taking part in, and promotion of, a Workplace Travel Challenge
- Dr. Bike sessions (bike maintenance and repair)
- Working at home opportunities or flexible working hours, development of a Smarter Working Policy
- Production of, or update to, your Travel Plan
- Marketing and promotional activities to raise awareness of sustainable travel and smarter working options
- Personalised Travel Planning Sessions to support your staff in planning their individual journeys to work
- Hosting a Local Sustainable Travel Event, such as a ‘bikers’ breakfast’ for staff who cycle to work, or a car share coffee morning for staff to meet car share partners.
Submitting your application
Please submit your application by Friday 30th November 2018. Submissions received after this date will not qualify for the grant. Applications can be submitted HERE.
What happens next?
You will get an acknowledgement email in the days following receipt of your application.
After the closing date on 30 November, forms will then be assessed based on how the proposed project meets our objectives and how much match funding is proposed.
We will aim to get back to you within one week of the closing date.
The Capital Grant Scheme will be administered by the Business Travel Network and Bournemouth Borough Council on behalf of Dorset County Council. As such all correspondence will come from the Business Travel Network and Bournemouth Borough Council. All financial aspects including supplier set up, purchase Order supply and Invoice payment will be carried out through Bournemouth Borough Council.
If you have any questions, please contact the BTN team.
