Crawley council cuts £200,000 from budget to support voluntary and community groups

The financial impact of Covid-19 has hit the council hard, making this year tough when it comes to presenting a balanced budget – something it is required to do by law.

As a result, the community grants programme pot will be cut from £632,000 to £421,000.

The change was agreed at a meeting of the cabinet last week.

Leader Peter Lamb said: “Due to the budget and the need to reduce our expenditure in line with our new income, it is proposed that charitable giving by the council is cut by a third.

“It’s worth noting that still makes us twice as generous as any council of our type in the country and that we also give a range of commercial property to these charities that would ordinarily not be given by a council.

“So we remain incredibly generous by any standard – but it does mean a number of organisations will be affected.”

The grants – ranging from £2,500 to £140,000 – are currently given to 22 voluntary and community sector organisations, helping them to deliver a broad variety of services, activities and one off events.

Over the coming year, a new method of handing out grants will be phased in – a ‘commissioning approach’.

Some £371,000 will be given to organisations which can provide services needed by the town – such as Open House and Citizens’ Advice – while the remaining £50,000 will be used to match-fund any money raised by the community for other local charities.

This new approach should be fully in place by April 2022.

A report to the cabinet said: “It has also been recognised that the council’s funding of the voluntary and community sector required review.

“The approach has remained largely unchanged over the past decade or so.

“With Crawley facing unprecedented economic challenges in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, there will be social challenges facing the town that require new approaches and capacity.

“This will require the council to develop a much more targeted approach in its funding of the sector to meet existing and emerging need.”

Karen Dunn , Local Democracy Reporting Service