More than £100,000 in grant money which should have been used to benefit communities in East Lothian was not handed out last year.
Common Good Funds across the county had a budget of £199,000 for grants during the last financial year, but only £82, 676 was distributed.
A report to councillors has revealed that more than three quarters of the money issued came from Musselburgh Common Good Fund while Dunbar’s Fund did not hand out anything.
The local authority oversees four common good funds for the towns of Musselburgh, Haddington, North Berwick and Dunbar.
The funds represent a substantial portfolio of land, property and investments and exist for the common good of the inhabitants of the former Burghs to which they relate.
Applications for grants are welcomed from individuals, groups or clubs who can demonstrate a benefit to the people of the area through their activity or
positive promotion of the town and fund committees are made up by ward councillors.
The report on last year’s activities by the funds, revealed that eight grants were made in total over the year.
In Musselburgh the committee awarded £32,000 to The Hollies – a day centre supporting over 60s, with £23,000 to the town’s annual fireworks display and £9,387 to the Musselburgh Festival. A further £289 was given to St Peters Church.
In Haddington, £5,000 was granted to Blooming Haddington, with a further £1500 to festival Haddstock and £1500 to Lower Impact Living which support sustainable living.
In North Berwick £10,000 was given to North Berwick Kindness Cooperative which supports people struggling financially in its ward.
No grants were made by Dunbar Common Good Fund. It was not reported how many applications were received by the four funds in the course of the year or if any were rejected.
Applications for grants from the funds can be made through East Lothian Council’s website
by Marie Sharp, Local Democracy Reporter.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
