Nigel Farage and Reform UK have launched a £250,000 Clacton Community Fund to support local charities and organisations.

The Reform UK leader and Clacton MP has written to residents confirming the creation of the fund, which is fully donated by the party. Farage had earlier pledged roughly this amount during the summer to cover the approximate cost of the parliamentary by-election that returned him as the constituency’s MP in August.

Rather than attempting to transfer the money directly to the council—something election rules prevent parties from doing for specific contest costs—the party has opted to channel it straight to causes within the constituency.

In the letter, Farage writes: “Charity begins at home. It’s a long-standing principle of mine. That’s why we are setting up the Clacton Community Fund, with £250,000 donated by Reform UK.

It will be used to directly support many worthy causes, and many needy people.”

Community groups, charities, non-profit organisations and other local causes can now apply for support.

Residents are also invited to nominate groups they believe deserve funding. Applications and suggestions go through a form on the Reform UK website.

A local committee will decide how the money is allocated, with the stated aim of maximising its impact. Farage has described the approach as “real, local democracy at work,” noting that he wants residents involved in choosing the beneficiaries.

He closed the letter by referencing Clacton’s support for the party: “The people of Clacton have been with Reform from the very beginning. You first elected me as your MP two years ago, and re-elected me with even more votes in August. The road to Downing Street, and to getting our country back, begins here in Clacton.”

The by-election itself, held after Farage resigned his seat amid a parliamentary standards inquiry into a large personal gift, is estimated to have cost taxpayers around £250,000. Major parties declined to field candidates, leaving Farage facing a field that included novelty candidates such as Count Binface; he won a clear majority and increased his vote share from the 2024 general election.

The Clacton Community Fund is the mechanism Reform has chosen to put that pledged sum into the local area through direct grants rather than through council channels.