Business and Local Economy Fund Eligibility Checker

About your organisation

Section 2 of our Guidance sets out which organisations are eligible to apply to the Fund. They must be:

Set up as not for profit

Set up for public benefit

Established with at least one objective which is focused on the development of local business/tourism

If you are not a statutory body, your organisation must have the following:

• A governing document (e.g. constitution or memorandum and articles of association) which includes appropriate statements on members not benefiting financially from the organisation or its dissolution.
• No unmanaged debts or liabilities.
• At least 3 unrelated or non-cohabiting members of your committee. For charities this would be trustees, for community interest companies this would be directors.
• Suitable governance controls to manage funding from HS2 Ltd (e.g. regular committee meetings, financial reporting etc.)
• Your own bank account with a minimum of 2 unrelated signatories. One of these signatories must be identified as a contact for your organisation in the application form.

• Please note, if you are a Community Interest Company (CIC) or a Company Limited by Guarantee you should check Section 2 of the Guidance to see if you meet the criteria to be eligible to apply.

Disruption to your community

Can you evidence the demonstrable disruption caused by the construction of HS2 on local business / economic activity?

Before answering this question, please review the Environmental Statement (ES) relevant to your area to determine when construction works will be taking place and therefore when to make your application.

You can find links to the ES and some other useful resources below.

HS2 London to the West Midlands Environmental Statement; https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hs2-phase-one-environmental-statement-documents

Phase One Additional Provisions; https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/additional-provisions-for-the-high-speed-rail-london-to-west-midlands-bill

There may also be additional information on what work is happening in your area on the HS2 local community webpages website which can be found here https://www.hs2.org.uk/in-your-area/local-community-webpages/

An interactive map which shows what current and upcoming works are being carried out can be found here https://www.hs2.org.uk/in-your-area/map/

HS2 Construction Locations

Important notice for applications from the Langley/Iver/Richings Park area

The then Minister for HS2, confirmed in May 2018 that the proposed Heathrow Express (“HEX”) rolling stock depot facility at Langley no longer needs to be built. This means that the impacts associated with building and operating the depot, as described in the relevant parts of the Environmental Statement, will no longer arise. As a consequence, CEF or BLEF applications which rely on the disruption caused by construction or operation of the depot will no longer satisfy the relevant criterion and will not be successful. We therefore recommend that you do not submit applications from these areas. However, any applications from these areas which had already been approved for funding prior to the announcement, will continue to be honoured.

Powers to construct the Langley depot were obtained under the High Speed Rail (London to West Midlands) Act 2017, as the depot had been planned to replace the existing facility at Old Oak Common in order to make way for the new High Speed 2 station there. However, alternative arrangements have now been agreed whereby HEX services will instead be provided by First Group, who will use existing depot facilities in Reading. This means that the Langley depot is no longer needed.

Ineligible Costs

• Personal equipment and clothing. For example, uniforms that would become an individual’s private property. Any items must belong to the organisation rather than an individual.
• Purchasing vehicles.
• Buying land or facilities.
• Projects intended primarily for private gain.
• Direct financial benefits to individuals such as bonuses, gifts, prizes, vouchers.
• Funds to pay individuals to attend training or work experience.
• Any initiative where the main benefit will be increasing an organisations surplus rather than serving the community.
• Funds for the general capacity building of organisations.
• Projects that contribute directly to a company’s distributable profits.
• To help with budget shortfalls, debt repayments or endowments (including funds to build up a reserve or surplus and loan repayments).
• Retrospective funding – we will not reimburse costs already incurred.
• Projects or activities that are primarily for the promotion of religion, religious belief or faith. Whilst religious organisations and faith groups may be able to apply for funding, the project must deliver wider community or public benefits to be eligible. In addition, we will not part fund a post which provides both community and religious/faith based work or decorations or lighting for religious festivals/events.   
• Projects or activities that are primarily for the promotion of politics or political beliefs.
• Any project or activity that may bring HS2 Ltd, its sub-contractors or its partners (including Groundwork UK) into disrepute.
• Projects that do not meet the ‘Additionality’ principle (set out in section 3.3 of the Guidance Notes).
• Projects used solely for delivering curriculum activity (if your project is applying for a school or education establishment it should ensure it opens opportunities for the wider community). Please see additional guidance for school applications.
• Projects that primarily benefit schools during the school day.
• Unspecified expenditure.
• Costs associated with fundraising or bid writing.
• Any project where funding will be passported to other organisations (for example though a grants programme).
• Organisational overheads or running costs which the organisation would incur whether the project was running or not (although we will consider funding support costs incurred as a direct result of running the project).
• Campaigning or lobbying projects.
• Feasibility studies.
• Projects that are not based in disrupted areas (set out in section 1.4 of the Guidance Notes.)
• Trips (for example to the beach, to the theatre).
• Trips (UK and overseas) or any international activity.
• Any activity that would be in breach of State Aid rules or the subsequent UK Subsidy Bill/Act 2022.
• Broadband (please see FAQ 17).
• Business rates and subsidies.
• Car parking subsidies.
• Ongoing maintenance costs or ongoing running costs linked to capital projects.
• Road safety measures or improvements including speed cameras or vehicle activated signs, speed bumps or other speed reduction measures such as speed tables, speed cushions, priority narrowing or chicanes, installing or enhancing pedestrian crossings (including Puffin, Zebra, Toucan, Pelican and Pegasus) or junction improvements or changes to road layouts.
• Maintenance/upkeep of pavements, public rights of way or public footpaths.
• The set up and/or running of community radio stations.