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The following are some FAQs about the Common Good Fund as this year the fund will receive approximately £95,000 and last year only awarded grants totalling £10,000. In comparison last year the Community Trust had funds of £85,000 and gave away £75,000. The Common Good Fund receives very few applications and the Community Trust is always oversubscribed. Currently, there is no information about the Common Good Fund on the CC’s website and I believe we could have something like these FAQs and a downloadable copy of the application form on our website. I think we should also be promoting the Common Good fund via our Focus article and at our coffee mornings. FAQs about St Andrews – Common Good Fund Q1. What is a Common Good Fund? The roots of the Common Good can be traced back to the early mediaeval period, with some burghs deriving royal charters from David I. The Common Good Act, passed in 1491, determined that revenue from burgh properties and income from various levies was to be used for the common good of the town. Over the following centuries there have been fixed or moveable assets donated on ‘behoof of the community’; most commonly to former burgh councils. The common good funds comprise land and buildings in addition to moveable items such as paintings, books and artefacts. Title to common good land is held by local authorities as statutory successors to the Town Councils, abolished in 1975. The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 provides that common good should not be absorbed into the general fund of the Council. The Act also states that where a local authority wishes to dispose of common good assets, and a ‘question arises’ about their right to do so, they should apply to the Court of Session or the Sheriff for authority to proceed. Furthermore, the Act states that, in administering the Common Good assets, any authority to which it is transferred shall have regard to the interests of the inhabitants of the area to which the common good related prior to 16 May 1975. Q2. Did all the land held by Town Councils pass into Common Good Funds? In 1975, some Town Councils took the opportunity to pass the town’s common property into new Trusts to avoid having them taken over by the new authorities. St Andrews managed to arrange for all the golf links in St Andrews which were part of their common lands to be transferred by Act of Parliament into the St Andrews Links Trust. Q3.How many Common Good sites are there in St Andrews? We have four Common Good sites in St Andrews that pay rent in to the Common Good Fund: Town Hall, Victory Memorial Hall, Bruce Embankment (including car park), and the Fishermens’ stores at the harbour. A full list of other sites is in the table below. There is at least one missing as the Seafood Restaurant at the Bruce Embankment is not listed.

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Q4. Are there only fixed assets in the Common Good Fund? No, there is Moveable Common Good Property. These consist of such things as the Provost Chain and badge which was presented to St Andrews Town Council by the Marquess of Bute and is now used by the Provost of Fife. There are also lots of robes, hats and other official garments from the old Town Council. Finally, there are various sets of official weights and measures. Most of these are stored by Fife Council in Cupar. Q5. How much money does the Common Good Fund get each year? Approximately £95,000 per annum. Q6. Why has the amount increased so much in recent years? Previously, income paid to the Common Good came from three main sources; the rental paid by the stall holders at the Lammas Market, the rental income from the pet shop on South Street and interest from investments. This used to be approximately £40,000 a year of which £20,000 was automatically allocated to the repayment of the Byre Theatre loan. When the Byre Theatre closed the Common Good no longer had to pay the loan and gained £20,000 a year. In an auditor’s report in 2009, Fife Council were criticised for their handling of ground rents from properties on Common Good land. Eventually, Fife Council agreed to include the ground rent from the Golf Museum, Seafood Restaurant, Sea Life Centre and a portion of the parking fees paid at the Bruce Embankment Car Park to the Common Good funds. Q7. What happens to the surplus funds at the end of the year? The Common Good Fund has two accounts, a current account and a savings account. The current account is called the Revenue Balances Account and as of Sep 15 has £213,754 in it and this account earns interest of 0.05%. The savings account is called the Investments Account and has £444,937 in it and this earns interest of approximately 5%. As of Sep 15, the Common Good Fund has liabilities of approximately £40,000 these are unclaimed awards such as the £20,000 allocated to the Harbour Trust. Periodically, surplus funds in the Revenue Balances Account are transferred to the Investments Account.

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Q4. Are there only fixed assets in the Common Good Fund? No, there is Moveable Common Good Property. These consist of such things as the Provost Chain and badge which was presented to St Andrews Town Council by the Marquess of Bute and is now used by the Provost of Fife. There are also lots of robes, hats and other official garments from the old Town Council. Finally, there are various sets of official weights and measures. Most of these are stored by Fife Council in Cupar. Q5. How much money does the Common Good Fund get each year? Approximately £95,000 per annum. Q6. Why has the amount increased so much in recent years? Previously, income paid to the Common Good came from three main sources; the rental paid by the stall holders at the Lammas Market, the rental income from the pet shop on South Street and interest from investments. This used to be approximately £40,000 a year of which £20,000 was automatically allocated to the repayment of the Byre Theatre loan. When the Byre Theatre closed the Common Good no longer had to pay the loan and gained £20,000 a year. In an auditor’s report in 2009, Fife Council were criticised for their handling of ground rents from properties on Common Good land. Eventually, Fife Council agreed to include the ground rent from the Golf Museum, Seafood Restaurant, Sea Life Centre and a portion of the parking fees paid at the Bruce Embankment Car Park to the Common Good funds. Q7. What happens to the surplus funds at the end of the year? The Common Good Fund has two accounts, a current account and a savings account. The current account is called the Revenue Balances Account and as of Sep 15 has £213,754 in it and this account earns interest of 0.05%. The savings account is called the Investments Account and has £444,937 in it and this earns interest of approximately 5%. As of Sep 15, the Common Good Fund has liabilities of approximately £40,000 these are unclaimed awards such as the £20,000 allocated to the Harbour Trust. Periodically, surplus funds in the Revenue Balances Account are transferred to the Investments Account.

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Q8.Who can apply for funds? Any organisation or individual may apply for funds to support projects that will benefit the people of St Andrews. Recently, funds have been given to the St Andrews Harbour Trust (Pontoon project), St Andrews in Bloom, St Andrews Community Council Senior Citizens’ Treat, Happy Days Children Charity and the restoration of the Whyte Melville fountain (another Common Good asset) in Market Street. An application form can be downloaded from Fife Direct or obtained from the local office in St Mary’s Place. A downloadable application form is also on the Community Council’s website: www.standrewscc.net Q9. Who decides what funds are allocated? Up to £2,000 an application is decided by a council official under delegated powers. Above £2,000 the decision is made by Fife Councillors. Q10. What role does the Community Council have in the decision making process? The Community Council is a consultee and after they have assessed an application they pass their opinion to the Fife Council official overseeing the application. As with planning applications, Fife Councillors can ignore the Community Council’s comments. Q11. Are there any restrictions on what the Common Good will fund? In theory yes - on the application form is the following: “The Council has approved a set of criteria against which applications will be assessed. These are:

1. The capital base of a Common Good Fund in real terms should be maintained. 2. No applications for running costs on a recurring basis should be approved. 3. No grants for individuals for personal benefit should be approved. 4. Common Good Fund grants should normally meet a maximum of 50% of the costs of any

project” But, immediately after this section is the following sentence: “The Council can however approve applications contrary to the above principles in exceptional circumstances.”

Q12. Does the project have to be in St Andrews?

No, but the applicant must prove a benefit to the people of St Andrews. For example, an application for a project in the West of Fife could find it difficult to prove a direct benefit. But, an application for a project close to St Andrews, say at Craigtoun Park could demonstrate a direct benefit.

Q13. Are there projects on Common Good Land that need attention? Yes, the two main ones being the Bandstand and the Lade Braes. The Bandstand is a Common Good asset on Common Good land and is in need of minor restoration and repainting. On the Lade Braes repair work needs to be carried out to the path.

Q14. Who can I contact for further information about how to complete the application form?

Either Fife Council Funding & Monitoring Team by email funding.support@fife.gov.uk or phone 01592 583498

Or the Community Council via out website: www.standrewscc.net

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Q8.Who can apply for funds? Any organisation or individual may apply for funds to support projects that will benefit the people of St Andrews. Recently, funds have been given to the St Andrews Harbour Trust (Pontoon project), St Andrews in Bloom, St Andrews Community Council Senior Citizens’ Treat, Happy Days Children Charity and the restoration of the Whyte Melville fountain (another Common Good asset) in Market Street. An application form can be downloaded from Fife Direct or obtained from the local office in St Mary’s Place. A downloadable application form is also on the Community Council’s website: www.standrewscc.net Q9. Who decides what funds are allocated? Up to £2,000 an application is decided by a council official under delegated powers. Above £2,000 the decision is made by Fife Councillors. Q10. What role does the Community Council have in the decision making process? The Community Council is a consultee and after they have assessed an application they pass their opinion to the Fife Council official overseeing the application. As with planning applications, Fife Councillors can ignore the Community Council’s comments. Q11. Are there any restrictions on what the Common Good will fund? In theory yes - on the application form is the following: “The Council has approved a set of criteria against which applications will be assessed. These are:

1. The capital base of a Common Good Fund in real terms should be maintained. 2. No applications for running costs on a recurring basis should be approved. 3. No grants for individuals for personal benefit should be approved. 4. Common Good Fund grants should normally meet a maximum of 50% of the costs of any

project” But, immediately after this section is the following sentence: “The Council can however approve applications contrary to the above principles in exceptional circumstances.”

Q12. Does the project have to be in St Andrews?

No, but the applicant must prove a benefit to the people of St Andrews. For example, an application for a project in the West of Fife could find it difficult to prove a direct benefit. But, an application for a project close to St Andrews, say at Craigtoun Park could demonstrate a direct benefit.

Q13. Are there projects on Common Good Land that need attention? Yes, the two main ones being the Bandstand and the Lade Braes. The Bandstand is a Common Good asset on Common Good land and is in need of minor restoration and repainting. On the Lade Braes repair work needs to be carried out to the path.

Q14. Who can I contact for further information about how to complete the application form?

Either Fife Council Funding & Monitoring Team by email funding.support@fife.gov.uk or phone 01592 583498

Or the Community Council via out website: www.standrewscc.net

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