Reigate & Banstead Grants: Up to £20,000, Apply by 2 Nov

Community groups across Reigate & Banstead can now bid for grants of £3,000 to £20,000 to improve the buildings and spaces they run. The borough council opened the £200,000 fund on Monday 5 October. Applications close on 2 November.

The council announced the scheme on Monday. It expects to make up to 25 awards, according to its programme page.

The key facts

All dates and figures are from the council’s guidance for applicants.

What the money can pay for

The grants are for physical improvements to a community building or space in the borough. The guidance gives these examples:

• accessibility work, such as ramps, hearing loops or accessible toilets
• energy-efficiency measures
• improvements to outdoor community spaces
• fixed sound or audio equipment, where it improves access to activities

The work must be clearly tied to the safety, accessibility or community use of the asset.

The fund will not pay for:

• staff, running costs or general maintenance
• general equipment not linked to improving the building
• work that has already been done, or costs already paid
• existing debts or reserves

Who can apply

The guidance lists four types of eligible organisation:

• registered charities
• community interest companies that reinvest their profits
• town and parish councils in the borough
• other formally constituted non-profit clubs or groups

Individuals, profit-making companies and political groups cannot apply.

There is one catch that will rule out many small groups. Your organisation must own the building, or hold a lease of at least 10 years. The council says it may accept a landlord’s letter confirming a longer lease is planned, where a long-standing tenant is renewing.

Groups turned down in the first round can try again. Groups that already received an improvement grant in the first round are not invited, unless the council has money left over.

How bids are judged

It is a single-stage application, with an expression of interest form. Bids are scored on three things:

Applicants must propose up to five measures of success, such as more bookings or lower energy bills. They also need written quotes: at least one for costs under £9,999, and at least three from £10,000 up. Ward councillors will be asked for their views on bids in their area.

The bigger scheme behind it

This is a smaller second round of a programme the council agreed in September 2025. Its stated aim is to keep council-owned community buildings in local hands “beyond the life of the Council”. Reigate & Banstead is due to be replaced by a new East Surrey Council; our guide to who runs what under East Surrey Council explains the change.

The council says the first round made offers to 25 organisations. Its March 2026 decision notice lists the first conditional offers, including:

• £120,000 to Pathfinder Scouts
• £120,000 to St Peter’s Church
• £99,000 to Furnistore
• £40,000 to Walcountians Sports Club
• Beecholme Pavilion leased to Beecholme Belles Women and Girls Football Club, with £124,056
• the Pageant Hut leased to YMCA East Surrey, with £15,552
• Park Farm Scout Site leased to Banstead District Scout Council, with £27,930

Merstham FC’s new 3G pitch was funded through the same programme, as we reported in September.

The new round is aimed at groups for whom a transfer or a large grant is not right. Cllr Ben Green, the council’s Executive Member for Finance and Assets, said: “This new grant scheme recognises that an asset transfer or large grant might not be right for every organisation. I hope that these smaller grants can make a real difference to a different segment of our vibrant community sector.”

What it means for you

If you help run a scout hut, village hall, church hall, sports pavilion or community garden, this is worth a look now. The window is under four weeks.

• Check the lease first. Without freehold or a 10-year lease, your bid is unlikely to be eligible.
• Get quotes early. Three written quotes are needed for anything over £10,000, and builders can take weeks to reply.
• Plan to finish by March. Every grant must be spent in full by 31 March 2027, so the work needs to be ready to start soon after December’s decisions.
• Book a briefing. The council is running two online sessions on Microsoft Teams: Thursday 8 October, 10am to 11am, and Wednesday 14 October, 3pm to 4pm. Email communitypartnerships@reigate-banstead.gov.uk to get a joining link.

Applications go through the council’s expression of interest page, by 2 November.