7 Variations
What to do if you need to make a change to your Facilitation plan during your agreement.
You may find that due to factors outside of your control, you will be temporarily prevented from carrying out some of the actions required under your agreement. If you need to make a change to your Facilitation plan at any time throughout the length of your agreement, you must let us know.
If the change is straightforward, for example, changing the date of a training session, you can tell us on your quarterly claim form.
If you are making a significant change, for example, changing what you’re planning to deliver, purchasing consumables, or obtaining a new group member, you must apply to us for a variation to your agreement.
You must apply for consent to make significant changes and we must grant you permission before you make the requested change, for example, before you stop any work, or carry out any additional work. If you act without written or conditional permission, recoveries and/or reductions for a breach of agreement may be applied. For more information about recoveries and reductions, you can read the ‘Terms and Conditions’ at Section 15.
You should request a variation through your change log which we will set up once you’re offered an agreement. Fill in the change log as required and return it to us by email to ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk.
Permission to make a change is not automatic and we require up to 15 working days to consider any request you make. We’ll contact you and update you with our progress if your request is likely to take longer to review.
We will look at your request as quickly as possible, and we may need to contact you for clarification or for more details.
If we agree to your suggested variation, we will email you with permission. You should keep this approval with your agreement documents.
Types of variations include:
- decrease in funds
- changes to projects outputs
- changes to claim submission dates
- changes to number of claims
- project delays
- purchasing of consumables over £100.
£500 uplift for new members
When a new member joins your group, you can apply for an additional £500 uplift per year to cover additional costs of administration and management for the new member. You’ll need to request this as a variation to your Grant Funding Agreement and give details of how the £500 uplift will be used across the remaining length of the agreement.
The maximum you can apply for is 80 members. You can have more than 80 members in your group but the fund uplift will be capped (stopped) if you reach 80 members.
We will look at each variation request, making sure the member isn’t already part of this Facilitation group, or any other group. If we’re content then we’ll issue the variation, and you will receive the £500 uplift. This is subject to funds still being available. If the budget for the scheme has already been spent by the time you request your variation, we will not be able to give you the uplift payment.
If a member leaves your group, you should request a further variation to your budget to reduce it by £500 per year. You’ll need to look at your costs and amend them for the following year and for the remainder of the agreement to consider the reduction in funds.
If a member leaves your group, we will not recover any funds for the current or previous years that person has been a member, as the costs will have already been incurred.
Occasionally, we may need to change the agreement in line with changes to law and other exceptional circumstances. In applying for the scheme, you accept that such changes may be made at any time. We’ll tell you of all changes and where these changes will significantly affect your individual agreement, we will tell you as soon as possible.
If adjustments are needed to meet changes in regulations, relevant mandatory standards, requirements, or obligations but you are not willing to accept these changes, your agreement will end. You will not need to repay funds already received as part of your agreement.