It is always recommended that councils avail themselves of policies regarding specific actions they undertake. A policy does not have to be a 100 page document but a precise and concise definition of how your aims will be achieved. In the matter of grants given to presumably to the community, the boundaries of matters such as eligability, need, amounts, and measuring of success should all be defined. This is of course down to the council to decide and the clerk to advise on compliance with legal obligations.