A grant handed out by a councillor is being reviewed by Braintree Council after it was awarded to a company she set up.

The authority has confirmed its officers are investigating a donation made by Tory councillor Joanne Beavis as part of its Councillor Community Grants scheme.

The scheme sees each ward councillor given £1,500 to distribute to organisations across the district.

Mrs Beavis awarded some of the money from her cashpot to Braintree District Community Foundation, a community interest company she co-founded with Caroline Burrows-Wrenn.

It was used to purchase new fridges and a freezer at Castle Hedingham Community Shop - a not-for-profit store linked to the foundation.

Mrs Beavis said the investigation was normal procedure as she had declared an interest.

She said: “The Castle Hedingham Community Shop was established in November 2017 to provide a much needed and valuable service to the residents of Castle Hedingham and the surrounding areas.

“The grant was successfully awarded in April and will help towards the provision of new equipment to replace the old equipment left by the previous owner of the shop.

“Braintree District Council, for reasons of transparency, is entitled to carry out reviews particularly when a member of the council has a declared interest.”

A Braintree Council spokesman said: “A question has been raised in relation to one grant made by Councillor Mrs Beavis under the Councillor Community Grants scheme. This is currently under review by officers although we are unable to make any further comment at this time.”