COMMUNITY MINIBUS FUND ROUND TWO
APPLICATION FORM
Please read the Community Minibus Fund Guidance document before starting your
application. If you do not meet the essential criteria detailed, we will not be able to
take your application further. If you have any questions on this or the application
form please contact [email protected]
Organisation name
Type of organisation
(e.g. Registered charity,
co-operative, company
limited by guarantee,
community interest
company)
Charity number
(if applicable)
Companies House
number
(if applicable)
VAT number, if
registered
Are you a CTA
member?
CTA membership
number (if applicable)
Year established
Website (if applicable)
Address
☐Yes
☐No
☐Would like to find out more
Postcode
Number of staff
(full and part time)
Number of volunteers
Number of people on
the organisation’s
governing body or
board of directors
(if applicable)
Name of contact
person
Contact address
(if different from above)
Telephone
Email
Total income for the
year (from most
recent accounts)
Total expenditure for
the year (from most
recent accounts)
Total reserves at year
end (from most
recent accounts
Have your accounts
been independently
audited?
☐Yes
☐No
1. State Aid Section
On 23 June 2016, the EU referendum took place and the people of the United
Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. Until exit negotiations are
concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights
and obligations of EU membership remain in force.
Under European Law there are limits on how much ‘state aid’ may be received by any undertaking.
This includes community transport organisations, even when they have charitable status. The
legislation is complex and it is not possible to summarise it in detail here. However, of most
immediate relevance to the transport of passengers by road, Regulation No 1407/20131 limits the
amount of aid that may be received during any period of three years to a cumulative maximum of
€200,000. A higher threshold may be relevant to the extent that EC Regulation No 360/2012
applies2. The three year period is rolling, so includes previous and subsequent years.
All assistance to which a financial value may be attributed which is received from public bodies must
be taken into account in determining whether the relevant state aid threshold has been (or will be)
exceeded; not just assistance received from local authorities. Aid may be given by any public sector
body, including central, regional or devolved governments and related agencies. Aid may take the
form of cash grants but may also be received “in kind‟, for example the receipt of subsidised loans
or the use of equipment or facilities owned or financed by a public body. By contrast, revenue
received pursuant to a tendered contract on arm’s length commercial terms should not constitute
state aid. If you are not sure whether any assistance you have received (or may receive) constitutes
state aid, please contact the body which granted the assistance to clarify.
It is important that you understand and act in accordance with the rules on state aid, as the
European Commission has power to require repayment of impermissible aid. Any funding that may
be awarded through this initiative will count toward the applicable cumulative limit, therefore
reducing the amount of aid that may be received from other sources and will be repayable to the
extent that the applicable limit is exceeded. Impermissible aid must be repaid with interest
regardless of the effect on the recipient – even if the result is insolvency. Financial risk is therefore
borne by the applicant. If you are in any doubt as to whether or not any funding that may be
awarded through this initiative might constitute impermissible state aid, you should seek appropriate
independent financial and legal advice.
Please detail the total value of all aid of any description (i.e. in cash or “in kind”, as described
above) received or receivable from any public body in respect of each of the past 5 years and the
nature of that aid. Please also forecast any aid likely to be received or receivable in respect each of
the next 3 years.
1
Regulation No 1407/2013 of 18 December 2013 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the
Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid.
2
Regulation No 360/2012 of 25 April 2012 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of
the European Union to de minimis aid granted to undertakings providing services of general economic interest.
Fiscal Year
Total value of aid
Description- (in cash or in kind)
11/12
12/13
13/14
14/15
15/16
16/17
17/18
18/19
19/20
Applications will not be considered to the extent that it appears from the information provided that
funding may constitute impermissible aid. However, any decision to provide funding will not
constitute an agreement or acceptance on the part of the Department that the funding is in
accordance with the rules. It is the responsibility of applicants to satisfy themselves as to
compliance with the rules and bear the financial risk accordingly.
2. Scope of your organisation
2a. Which of these categories best describes your organisation’s activity in community transport?
(please tick one)
☐ Operating community transport is our primary purpose
☐ Operating community transport is a significant and high-profile part of our activities, but not
our main purpose. Examples being the British Red Cross and RVS.
☐ Operating community transport is a minor component of our overall activities intended to
support other functions of our organisation. This can include schools, Scout groups and care
homes
2b. Who are the main users of your services? (Please tick all that apply)
☐Older people
☐People with disabilities/ restricted mobility
☐Socially/geographically excluded
☐Women
☐ Children
☐ Teenagers
☐ People from ethnic minorities
☐ Members of the general public
☐ Other please specify:
2c. How would you describe the area(s) you serve?
☐ Exclusively urban
☐ Exclusively rural
☐ Mostly urban but some rural
☐ Mostly rural but some urban
☐ About equal urban and rural
3. Operational Information
3a. Please provide a general description of your transport service(s). What type of service do you
provide: (group hire, dial-a-ride, etc.)?
3b. Please give a description of the permit or license under which your services are operated:
Please tick all that apply:
☐Section 19 permit.
☐Section 22 Community Bus Permit.
☐PSV Operator’s Licence.
☐Other (please specify):
3c. Please provide details of any training you provide for your drivers.
4. Purpose of Vehicle Request
4a. Is the funding required for a replacement vehicle or expanding existing fleet?
☐Replacement vehicle (please fill 4b)
☐Adding to existing fleet (please skip to 4c)
4b. Please state why your vehicle needs to be replaced and give a description of its current use.
4c. If the vehicle is required to expand existing fleet please explain why you need it.
4d. Please describe the current specifications of your minibus; if you have multiple vehicles please
describe your most typical specification:
5. Impact of the vehicle
5a. Please describe the impact the vehicle will have on your community. You might wish to include
the following:

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

Profile of service users
Annual number of passengers
Purposes for which service(s) will be used (education, shopping, health services, day care
attendance, etc.)
How the vehicle will meet the objectives which the Fund aims to meet (these are described
in the accompanying guidance note).
5b Will other charitable organisations be able to use the vehicle you are seeking funding for? If so,
please give details.
5c. Do you intend to hire, loan or lease your minibus to other organisations using their own drivers?
If so, please give details:
6. Declaration
6a. Declaration: We confirm that the information provided on this application form is correct. We
understand that provision of misleading or false information may lead to recovery of payments and/or
risk of prosecution.
Name
Position
Organisation
Date
6b. We agree CTA can retain the details in this form for the purposes of evaluation and analysis, in
compliance with data protection legislation.
☐Yes
☐No
6c. We declare that if our application is successful our total public funding (including payments inkind) will not exceed €200,000 over any three fiscal years either side of the time we receive our new
vehicle.
☐Yes
☐No
☐I confirm my organisation has not received funding from Round One of the Community Transport
Minibus Fund
7. What to do next
The application should be emailed to [email protected] by 17:00 on Friday 2
December 2016.
Please include the following supporting documentation:




A copy of your governing instrument e.g. Constitution, Memorandum of articles and
association, etc.
A copy of your most recent audited annual accounts
A supporting statement from a stakeholder in your organisation, for example, local authority,
regional transport partnership, health board, etc.
A copy of your Section 19 permit