NESLC Bottoms Up

NESLC 'Bottoms Up' Application Process - Instructions for Organisers

    

NESLC Christmas Bottoms Up

This year NESLC Have ALLOCATED £4000 for December bottoms up claims – claims are on a sliding scale - maximum subisdy of £12.00 per person per claim.

Once it is gone it’s gone!

To qualify for this amazing subsidy there must be a minimum of 2 NESLC members attending and the cost of the event must be £10 or more per person excluding alcohol – SEE FULL INSTRUCTIONS ON website links below.

Applications can be made prior to or after the event – BUT LAST DATE FOR APPLICATIONS – 31st DECEMBER 2024

So if you’re going for a Christmas meal or want to organise a trip to a Christmas market or a ride on the Santa express you can apply for a subsidy as long as the qualifying conditions are met.

The normal Bottoms Up application form and process should be followed, application form and details can be found on the HASSRA Live NESLC page https://­www.­hassra.­org.­uk/­neslc

Please note that Xmas BU applications count towards your annual allowance of 6 per year.

For information contact jill.gardner@hmrc.gov.uk

Policy

You must be a member of NESLC to claim a bottoms up application. Anyone working in Durham House will be part of the Durham House club and will need to join NESLC as an associate member

Policy

1. Bottoms-Ups are a means of providing financial subsidies to NESLC members taking part in events organised by one of their group.

2.  The group must elect a Head of Party (HOP) to claim for the event.  The HOP must be an NESLC member, and the claim can only be made for those attendees who are also NESLC  members (although not everyone in your party must be an NESLC member).  

The HOP will act as contact point in case of enquiry and will also be responsible for distributing paid subsidies to the other NESLC members included on the application.

HOPs don't have to pay for all event expenses themselves, however, they are responsible for collating all receipts and submitting the Bottoms Up claim form along with valid receipts on behalf of their group.

3. There must be at least 2 active NESLC members in your party. 

4. The minimum cost per person for consideration of a subsidy is £10 (exclusive of alcohol).

In most cases the minimum £10 per person is exclusive of local transport, alcohol, tobacco and gambling related costs (i.e., lottery tickets, betting tab etc).  Inclusion of these types of costs on your receipts could result in your application being refused.

The exception is where the event is provided by a third party such as a beer festival/wine tasting events, when an upper limit of 10 x ½ pint tokens or wine/cocktail equivalents may be included in the application.

Events such as race day/nights would also be acceptable.

5. Direct purchase of alcohol is prohibited.  

6. An application cannot be made in conjunction with other discounted NESLC event (i.e., Theatre trip, Races Trip, Overnight Stay). A Bottoms Up application can be made for ad-hoc events to    the already discounted event (e.g., pre theatre meal).  

7. A maximum of six subsidy claims per NESLC member will be allowed per calendar year from January to December.  These claims can be taken at any time of the year. 

8. The amount of subsidy an NESLC member will receive will be subject to the sliding scale and will be no more than £15 per member per event unless specified e.g., Xmas BU.   

9. Applications should be sent after the event but no later than one month after the date of the event.  Applications received after this time frame will not be considered. 

10. Applications will be reviewed on a first come first served basis.   

NESLC have a set monthly budget, which is managed on a rolling basis.

We will support as many applications as the available budget will allow, however if the budget is exhausted for that month when your application is received, your application will be rejected.

Process

1. After your event, complete the application form electronically showing what your event was and how much it cost in total for the whole party and for each person taking part. 

2. Include the required details for yourself and each of the other NESLC members taking part. Please complete HOP details first.

Ensure all details are completed on application; missing information can result in the claim being refused.

3. If your event includes alcohol, you should ask for two separate receipts, one covering non-alcohol related expenses and one covering alcohol related expenses. Where the event includes alcohol, it must be an organised third-party event such as a beer or wine festival and the receipt must cover tokens and, or vouchers and not direct alcohol purchase 

4. Your receipt must show the venue and the date of the event and must clearly show that funds have been paid. 

5. You must send valid evidence to prove the costs for the total numbers attending, e.g., for 10 attending at £10 per person, we must receive an 'official' receipt from the venue stating £100 paid to them (deducting any inhibited costs).It is accepted that the costs for the NESLC members may be included in the receipt for a larger party that included non-members.

6. Scan or photograph your receipt to send electronically. Make sure the details are easily readable and if necessary, use more than one scan/photograph to capture the information.

7. When complete, e-mail the form and receipts as an attachment to the NESLC Bottoms Up administrator, Emma Wakenshaw, emma.wakenshaw@hmrc.gov.uk,  who will assess your claim form.  

8. You should keep a copy of the claim pack including receipts and claim form. 

9. A decision will be made as quickly as possible whether the NESLC members in your party can receive subsidies and if so, how much for each member included in the application. You will be advised of the decision by email. That decision will be made subject to checking current NESLC membership for those in your party. 

10. NESLC will arrange a Bank Credit Transfer (BCT) to you, as the HOP, for the total of the subsidies payable, e.g., 8 members attended @ £5 per member agreed subsidy = £40. Please make sure your bank details are entered correctly on your application form.  NESLC will not be held responsible for mistakes made resulting in incorrect payments.

11. You (HOP) must then arrange to pay the individual subsidy to each NESLC member within 2 weeks (if not possible, contact Emma to advise). 

NESLC do not require confirmation that you have distributed the subsidy, however we recommend that you request confirmation of receipt by email and retain this in case of any dispute (e.g., a member of your party advising they did not receive their subsidy).

12. If a member of your party has reached their six claims is not eligible to claim further subsidies, the BU administrator will advise you of this by email. 

13. A random check of those receiving a subsidy will be undertaken to ensure that they did, in fact, take part in the event and that they have received / are content that they will receive their subsidy. 

Any discrepancy in the random check will lead to a 100% check being undertaken. If a subsidy is claimed for a member found not to have taken part in the event, the subsidy must be repaid. If a member advises they have not received their subsidy, and does not think they will do so, a full investigation into the allegation will take place and relevant action will be taken.

14. Please only contact the NESLC BU administrator by email.  This position is voluntary and undertaken in their own personal time. 

Application Form

Please complete the Bottoms Up application form.doc  in full– with Head of party listed first