In terms of the guidance, there is no formal right of appeal against decisions of the Council where they deem that an application does not meet the requirements laid out in the guidance. 
As such North Lanarkshire Council have introduced an internal appeal process to address any grievance by any applicant who is aggrieved at a refusal to award a grant. 
The Appeal Process 
Step 1 – Reconsideration of Decision 
If an applicant receives notification that their application has been rejected and disagree with this, they should respond to the email notification asking for a reconsideration of the decision and provide any additional evidence to consider. On receipt of this request the Enterprise Development Manager will have the application reassessed by a different Officer within 5 working days. If the original decision is overturned payment will be made. 
Step 2 – Formal Appeal 
Should the original decision be upheld the applicant will have a further final right of appeal if they remain dissatisfied with the decision.  
To submit an appeal the applicant should email restrictionsfund@northlan.gov.uk within 5 working days of receiving the notification that the reconsideration request was not successful, including their reference number on any correspondence.  
They must outline their grounds of appeal specifically where they consider the Council has not complied with the Scottish Government Guidance when reaching its decision to refuse the application and provide any additional information they wish to be taken into account. 
Step 3 – Appeal Determination 
The appeal will be considered by 2 Senior Officers and a final decision will be confirmed to the self-employed applicant within five working days from receipt of the appeal. If the decision is overturned, payment will be made within three working days. 
Should the decision be upheld the applicant will be notified of the final decision.