Rugby Borough Council has launched a new grants scheme to pump £126,000 into grassroots community projects.

The Councillor Grants Scheme gives all 42 borough councillors a £3,000 funding pot to support projects and organisations in each of the council's 16 wards.

Councillors can support community organisations and projects in their ward through community grants - or fund one-off, practical improvements through grants dubbed 'direct local action'.

Funding can support organisations to develop, organise community events and boost participation, or target environmental or neighbourhood issues - such as fly-tipping, anti-social behaviour and littering.

Grants can also help communities to protect and enhance green spaces for future generations.

Cllr Claire Edwards, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for communities, housing and safety, said the Councillor Grants Scheme gave councillors the chance to support grassroots, community projects which make a real difference.

"This new funding puts money in the hands of our communities, who - working with ward councillors - can identify priorities and target funding accordingly," Cllr Edwards added.

"The scheme has been designed to be flexible, both in terms of what the funding can support and how each councillor distributes it, so we're looking forward to hearing our communities' ideas and distributing funding to back projects across the borough."

Before submitting a grant application, applicants must have projects nominated by one - or more - of their ward councillors.

Applications can request up to £3,000 for a project nominated by a single ward councillor and up to a maximum of £5,000 for a project nominated by two or more ward councillors.

Full guidance and the online application form can be found at www.rugby.gov.uk/councillorgrants