The Terms and Conditions of the East Irish Sea Fund
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How the fund operates (an overview)
Background to the West of Morecambe Ltd (East Irish Sea Fund).
The West of Morecambe Fisheries Ltd. (East Irish Sea Fund) has been established to fund Community Projects which are of potential benefit for the various Fishing Communities which have been affected by the operation of the Walney, West of Duddon Sands and/or Ormonde offshore wind farms (OWF’s). The West of Morecambe Fisheries Ltd. (East Irish Sea Fund) is a pool of financial donations given voluntarily by the developers of the Walney, West of Duddon Sands and Ormonde offshore wind farms.
Who can apply to the fund?
The Fishing Communities (primarily fishermen or their representatives) are encouraged to submit applications for Community Project(s) they would like to see receive funding from the West of Morecambe Fisheries Ltd. (East Irish Sea Fund). Only applicants who belong to, or who represent, the Fishing Communities affected by the operation of the Walney, West of Duddon Sands and Ormonde OWF’s are eligible to submit project ideas for funding. Applicants may be required to provide evidence that they hold a relevant track record and are actively engaged in commercial fishing within the relevant areas. The West of Morecambe Fisheries (East Irish Sea Fund) is entirely discretional and no individual or organisation has any right to an award of any kind.
What sort of Projects can be funded?
Applications for Project funding are preferable which have wider potential benefits for the affected Fishing Communities, rather than those which benefit only a few or single individuals. Applications that include a component of matched funding, i.e. from EU grants or other sources, are attractive, however this is not a strict condition for funding, and applications for projects without matched funding will be considered.
How can I apply for funding?
Applications to the West of Morecambe Ltd (East Irish Sea Fund) fund can only be made when calls for proposals are open. Applications to the West of Morecambe Ltd (East Irish Sea Fund) fund can only be made using the authorised downloadable applications forms. No other form of application is acceptable. Applications must be received before the prescribed closing date for that call for proposals
When can I apply?
Calls for Proposals to the fund, will be open once a year (usually August – September inclusive) from 2013 onwards, until the fund is depleted. West of Morecambe Ltd will take the following steps to advertise the Calls for Proposals:
a) Publish an initial article in the Fishing News when the fund is launched.
b) Give annual notifications to the N.F.F.O. prior to the opening of calls to proposals.
c) Give annual notifications, prior to the opening of calls to proposals to the major Fishing Associations, Co-operatives and Producer Organisations throughout Lancashire, Cumbria and Northern Ireland of which we are aware of.
d) The Industry Advisory Fishing Group will be composed of Fishing Industry representatives from all of the major fishing ports in the region.
e) The FIR (Fishing Industry Representative(s)) for the relevant OWF’s, will issue a notice to those fishermen he/she has on his/her database on the opening of Calls for Proposals.
f) Call for Proposals will be advertised in advance on the West of Morecambe Fisheries Ltd website.
It is however, the responsibility of individual fishermen / fishermen’s organisation, to make themselves aware of when Call for Proposals are open for applications, should they wish to apply for funding. The West of Morecambe Fisheries Ltd is unable to notify all fishermen individually on the timing of such Call for Proposals and accepts no responsibility to do so.
How are the applications judged?
All applications will be initially screened by the Fishing Industry Advisory Group and receive their recommendations. Applicants may be allowed to attend this Advisory Group meeting/process at the discretion of the Fishing Industry Advisory Group chair. The Advisory Group is made up from representatives from the various fishermen’s groups that are affected by the Eastern Irish Sea Offshore Wind farms and is co-ordinated by the NFFO (Dale Rodmell and Ron Graham). The function of this advisory group is to screen applications, comment upon the level of support that each application has from the various fishermen’s groups and to rank those applications that they believe should be supported and receive funding. The Advisory Group will subsequently pass on their recommendations to the Steering Group. All applications will subsequently undergo review by the Steering Group; which consists of representatives from the donor wind farms. The decision to award an application in full, in part, or not at all, is made by the Steering Group. This process is closed and no applicant or member of the Industry Steering Group may attend unless invited. The Steering Group reserve the right to subsequently change any decision they make as they see fit. The Steering Group will make decisions of whether to make an award, primarily based on the following criteria.
a) Fairness. – is the application in proportion to the affected fishing community? Projects must not represent a disproportionate use of the available funds for any one community.
b) Appropriateness. – is the application to fund something appropriate?
c) Recommendations – as received from the Industry Advisory Group
d) Who will benefit? – Projects are preferred which benefit multiple individuals in a community rather than individuals
e) Terms and Conditions – Applications may be screened out, withheld or withdrawn at any stage under the Terms and Conditions (section 9) that govern the fund.
What happens when an award is made?
West of Morecambe Fisheries Ltd will inform all applicants of the decision by the Steering Group as quickly as possible. Unsuccessful applicants to the West of Morecambe Fisheries Ltd. (East Irish Sea Fund) have no right to appeal the decisions made by the Steering Group. To receive the award from the East Irish Sea Fund, the applicant will be required to agree to our Terms and Conditions (East Irish Sea Fund). If an award is granted, the applicant may also be required to provide bank details of their organisation to the West of Morecambe Fisheries Ltd, so that payment can be made. Recipients of small awards (i.e. less than £2,000) will typically be required to make the purchase on instruction by WOMF Ltd, and then claim for reimbursement retrospectively. Recipients of larger awards (i.e. greater than £ 2,000) may request WOMF Ltd for funds to be paid in advance of the purchase. Recipients of awards will typically be required to provide a guarantee that they will not sell, give away or transfer any goods or items funded by WOMF Ltd for a period of at least three years following the date of the award. Recipients of awards may be required to reimburse WOMF for the full amount of the award should the goods be sold, transferred or given away before the three years has expired. Recipients of awards failing to notify WOMF that they have sold, given away or transferred the good before the three years has expired, or failing to reimburse WOMF for the full amount of the award may render themselves and their respective organisation ineligible from any further grant or award that WOMF Ltd may issue.
We reserve the right to amend these Terms and Conditions. West of Morecambe Fisheries Ltd.