VOLUNTARY GROUP HIT BY BIG CUTS - Grass-roots organisations under threat after £500,000 City Hall budget axe

GRASS-roots organisations providing services to Westminster’s most vulnerable residents are fearing for their future today after City Hall announced a programme of savage cuts.
Nearly 80 projects, some working with the homeless, ex-offenders and mental health patients, have been refused funding after finance chiefs rubber-stamped plans to slash their voluntary sector budget by £500,000.
Among the groups missing out this year are Kairos, a Soho organisation that works to improve safety for gay visitors to the area, a women’s aid project run by the Eaves Housing charity that supports single mothers, and the London Tigers, a sports club for disadvantaged youngsters.
Opposition leaders have slammed the cuts saying it is evidence of the council’s skewed priorities in the same week it approved plans to send a member of staff to the Winter Olympics in Canada for £4,000.

Many existing projects fear they will be forced to fold, and new projects will not get off the ground, unless they find other funding streams. Dozens of the groups received money last year and were counting on the 2010/11 funding to tie them over during an economic crisis that continues to claim a disproportionate number of victims from the voluntary sector. 
The budget was slashed from just over £5.3million last year to £4.7m, which is topped up by a smaller pot from NHS Westminster.
Wendy Lynch, who runs a magazine written by youngsters in Soho called Soho Youth, had her application for around £30,000 turned down. She said: “West­minster Council has never given a penny to any youth projects in Soho. It is left out like it doesn’t exist. It’s disgraceful cutting the budget like this.”
Tim Franks was refused £64,000 for a counselling project he runs for gay mental health patients, called PACE. He said: “There is a recession in the volun­tary sector too. It is sad to see it losing funding, having to cancel projects and lay off staff.”
Guthrie McKie, Labour councillor for Harrow Road ward, one of the areas most affected by the cuts, said he was appalled. 
“This is a disgrace. At a time when the volun­tary sector will have more calls on them for support and assistance, the council cuts off vital funding to them. Evidence, if ever we needed it, that when the Conservatives make cuts, they hit the most vulnerable in our communities,” he said.
Labour leader Paul Dimoldenberg said: “Westminster’s voluntary sector do an amazing job helping people in need but the Conservatives have hit them hard and many local residents will see their services cut as a result of these council cuts.”
City Hall prefers to talk about the 160 groups that were awarded funding. Among the win­ners were the Avenues Youth Project in Padd­ington (£99,000), Age Concern Westminster (£110,347) and Padding­ton Arts (£28,00).
Councillor Ed Argar, cabinet member for adult and community services, had the final say on the decision. He said: “This year we received more than 200 applications for voluntary funding totalling almost three times the amount of the available budget. With this level of competition, we understand that there will be some organisations which will be disappointed.  
“There are many worthy causes in Westminster but as a council we have a responsibility to ensure that every penny of the grants budget is used to provide maximum benefit to our residents, while also acting prudently with the public purse. This year was made even more difficult due to the current financial climate but it is very important that we live within our means.
“All applications, however, have been subject to a stringent evaluation process by senior council officers to ensure that funding available to the voluntary sector is best used to support valuable and much-needed services.”
JAMIE WELHAM and TOM BROOKS-POLLOCK