Ayrshire church applies for £400 grant to pay for minister's leaving lunch despite having almost £35,000 in the bank

dailyrecord.co.uk:

East Ayrshire councillors have knocked back an application for a grant to help pay for a leaving lunch for an Ayrshire church minister.The application by St Andrew’s Free Church for £400 to pay for a ‘leaving lunch’ for the church minister was refused.The Cumnock church asked the council to cover around 95 per cent of the cost of the dinner, only offering £20 from the church coffers.This would cover dinner for 40 church members and 20 ‘dignitaries’.The application revealed the church has almost £35,000 in its bank account.In the council officer recommendation, it was stated that grants to religious organisations were only considered where the activity was not directly related to the practice of religion.It said: “This grant is requested to provide a leaving lunch for the current church minister and therefore is directly related to church activity.”It was also pointed out that the church also has a healthy bank balance and ‘can easily meet this cost from current church funds’.

For the latest news and breaking news visit our website. The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now.Get all the local news in your area – plus features, football news and the latest on the coronavirus crisis – at your fingertips 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories while you can customise your page with the sections that matter to you.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now on iOS and Android.Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.

You can also download the Ayrshire Live app for FREE now. We're also on Facebook – your must-see news, features and pictures throughout the day from Ayrshire Live.