Opening a bank account

All grants are made in the form of cheques or BACS payments, so it is essential that your organisation has a bank account.

Lancashire County Council does not make grants to individuals, only to organisations.

If your organisation is new, you may not yet have an account with a local bank or building society. Most banks and building societies offer simple club accounts that they will help you to set up.

To open an account you will need to be a constituted body such as a charity, company limited by guarantee, charitable company or a co-operative. If you haven't got a constitution or Articles and Memorandum, you can get help from your nearest Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) and at Community Futures (CF). The addresses of both are in the Yellow Pages. The CVS/CF will advise you on the most appropriate legal status for your activity.

You can operate as an unincorporated organisation, that is, an organisation that hasn't registered with the government as a legal entity. But in this case you will still need a constitution and you must be prepared to take individual liability for any loss or debts incurred by the organisation.

To open a bank account you will need at least three signatories, usually the chairperson, secretary and one other trustee or director. The bank or building society will ask for a copy of the minutes of the meeting at which the signatories were agreed and for each of the signatories to go in to the bank to present two forms of identification (ID). For this purpose, acceptable ID means:

• primary identification: passport, birth certificate, driving licence; and
• secondary identification: utilities bill or a benefit book.

Each signatory will need to take at least one primary document to the bank; and you will also need a small amount of money to open the account.