New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership

Small Grant Scheme Panel Terms of Reference

1. The role of the Small Grant Scheme (SGS) Panel (the Panel) is to:

a. Consider applications requesting financial support from the Small Grant Scheme

(SGS) in line with SGS criteria and in accordance with the New Anglia LEP Economic

Strategy and reach an agreed decision to support or reject each application.

b. Provide support to applicants and partners to ensure that a quality standard of

application and subsequently project is achieved.

c. Support New Anglia LEP and the New Anglia Growth Hub in the promotion and

publicity of the SGS to improve and sustain the flow of quality applications for funding.

d. Approve grants to individual applicants with the maximum grant value of £25,000 in

accordance with the delegated decision-making power from the New Anglia LEP

Investment Appraisal Committee.

e. Approve financial interventions in accordance with guidance on Subsidy Regimes for

SMEs.

2. Membership of the Panel

a. The Panel will comprise of three voting Panel members from New Anglia LEP.

i. £2,500 - £10,000 grant applications will be considered by one Panel member or

a nominate replacement as per 2b.

ii. £10,001 - £25,000 grant applications will be considered by three Panel

members or nominated replacements as per 2b.

b. Panel members and nominated replacements will be expected to sign a Declaration

(Annex A or Annex B) in confirmation of their appointment to the Panel and acceptance

of these Terms of Reference.

c. Membership of the Panel is undertaken on a voluntary basis.

d. Membership of the Panel is for the period of 1st September 2023 to 31 March 2025,

unless a Panel member’s appointment is terminated under paragraphs 2e, 2f, 2g

below.

e. A Panel member may terminate their membership by giving at least one month’s notice

in writing to New Anglia LEP.

f. New Anglia LEP may terminate the Panel membership of any member if they do not

act at all times in accordance with these Terms of Reference.

g. Membership of the Panel will be terminated if the SGS comes to its end.

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3. Operating Procedures

a. SGS progress meetings will be held as and when required to facilitate effective

decision making.

b. Representatives from SGS delivery partner organisations (New Anglia LEP and Suffolk

County Council) will be invited to attend SGS progress meetings.

c. Decision making on grant applications will be done electronically and Panel members

will be expected to submit their vote within five working days. Panel members may ask

any relevant questions/queries they have on the application before they submit their

vote to the Growth Hub.

d. A complete set of all three Panel members’ votes are required for grant requests above

£10k before a final decision on the application is taken. A decision will be decided by a

majority vote.

e. New Anglia LEP has the right to veto any taken decision if there is a strong case for

approval or rejection of the grant application.

f. A Panel member or a nominated replacement will have no right to vote on the

application if they have either a personal or professional interest in the Applicant’s

organisation or project to be considered by the Panel and must declare their interest

before any discussion on the grant application commences. In addition, twice a year all

Panel members and nominated replacements must complete a LEP member’s

responsible for ensuring their form is kept up to date. The completed form will be

published on the LEP website.

g. Panel members and nominated replacements will consider their responsibilities under

the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) as outlined in the New Anglia LEP Assurance

Framework and will incorporate equality considerations into all decisions.

h. If a Panel member is unable to act according to this document, for example, according

to Para 3f or being away from the office, a nominated replacement will be contacted to

consider the grant application(s).

i. New Anglia LEP and Suffolk County Councils are subject to the provisions of the

Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOI). All enquiries, related to the SGS, received by

any partner organisation under FOI in the first instance must be directed to New Anglia

LEP as the accountable body for the programme.

j. Panel members and nominated replacements must not disclose information related to

applications and the relevant applicants sent to them as part of SGS application

process, or information acquired independently, which is believed to be of a

confidential nature, unless this is required by law to do so.

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k. Copies of all correspondence relevant to the application between New Anglia LEP, its

partner organisations and the Panel will be saved by those partner organisations and

passed to New Anglia LEP for accountability.

l. In accordance with the Data Protection Law, Panel members will delete all emails

relating to grant applications after a final decision on the requested grant funding has

been taken.

m. Decisions on SGS grant applications (the applicant’s name and the amount awarded)

taken by the Panel will be reported to the New Anglia LEP Investment Appraisal

Committee and they will also be included in the LEP’s Register of decisions which is

published on the LEP website.

4. Terms of Reference document

4.1. This Terms of Reference document will be reviewed by New Anglia LEP and the Panel

as and when required to ensure it is operating at maximum effectiveness.

Updated on 25/08/2023