Hi Hannah. In 2013/14 you can claim for up to twenty designations, with a previous limit of ten designations in the previous financial year, so 30 in total up to April 2014. This doesn't mean you can't support more, you just won't be able to claim grant for them. However, where grant can be claimed, I think there is a broad principle that the Local Authority should be fulfilling its duty to advise and guide those Neighbourhoods, and should be using its grant to invest in that support. Communities themselves now also have access to grant aid and external support to steer them through the process - and they should be actively encouraged to do this to help minimise pressure upon the Local Authority, and to ensure that plans are genuinely 'community-led'.
