A Thanet district councillor is donating his member’s allowance to local projects and is inviting Thanet groups to apply.
Marc Rattigan, who is the Conservative councillor for Cliffsend, says the covid pandemic has resulted in a drop in donations to worthy causes and so he plans to plug the gaps with grants of up to £500 per project.
The cash comes from the allowance given to district councillors for carrying out their role. This stands at £4,500 per year. Marc also runs Bright Start Nurseries so his allowance is taxed at a higher rate but he still has £1,500 allowance allocated since February to give away in the first round of grants.
The father-of-four, from Cliftonville, said: “I have decided to donate my Thanet council councillor allowances to local projects. I feel with the drop that Covid has caused on people now donating to good causes, I would like to give something back locally.
“I will be inviting local community groups, sporting clubs etc to apply for grants of up to £500.
“Any organisations that would like to apply for the grant, can email me at [email protected] for a simple application form.”
The closing date for the first round of grants is November 15 with recipients notified by November 30.
Cllr Rattigan added: “I hope and invite other TDC councillors who may share the same passion to give back to our local community it these hard times.”
