How much did it cost?
Total costs incurred by GNP Group from commencement in September 2016 to completion in July 2018 were:
Spending Categories | Actual Total Cost £ | Original Budget £ |
Consultants | 5670 | 6930 |
Printing (external) | 655 | 500 |
Display and consultation material and internal printing | 957 | 671 |
Support Services | 274 | 250 |
Postages | 72 | 72 |
Village Hall Hire | 480 | 432 |
Other meeting expenses | 144 | 144 |
TOTAL | 8252 | 8999 |
All of these costs were met from Government Grant. The maximum grant available was £9,000.
The "overspend" against budget on printing (external) and display material etc. was some £441. This was due to a deliberate policy of making the consultations / community information more extensive than statutorily required. This included issuing every household with a hard copy of the Plan prior to the referendum. Fortunately printing costs were kept to a minimum by provision of some printing services free of charge.
The original fee proposal from the consultants totalled £9,810 (including management of call for sites exercise). However it was evident from the outset that this was not manageable within the grant available and hence a number of tasks were assigned to the Neighbourhood Planning Group rather than the consultants. Further tasks were undertaken locally as the project progressed allowing funds to be released for spending on consultation materials and related processes. The consultants (Kirkwells) input remained an integral part of the process and the advice and guidance were essential to the success of the project.
The original timetable proposed by the consultants was not achieved and the project concluded some 6 months later than originally envisaged. This was in part due to more time being taken on the statutory processes of Reg 14 (Autumn 2017) and Reg 16 consultations (Jan / Feb 2018) but was mainly due to the more extensive preliminary community consultations held in the September 2016 to June 2017 period. Overall the Glapthorn Plan was achieved in a considerably shorter timescale than most other Neighbourhood Plans.
16th July 2018