by political editor Paul Francis

Dozens of voluntary groups and charities across the county are to see their funding cut as councils respond to the government’s spending squeeze, a survey has suggested.

But while many councils have been forced to pare back the amount they give to groups and charities that often provide vital support for vulnerable people, others have safeguarded budgets and say they are aiming to spare such groups.

According to a survey by the anti-cuts campaign group False Economy, along with responses to Freedom of Information requests made by the KMG, 71 groups in different parts of Kent are seeing grants provided by the local council reduced.

Of those, 45 are said by False Economy to be facing ‘substantive’ cuts, with the remainder dealing with minor reductions in their grants.

The cuts come as councils begin to address a 28 per cent reduction in government grants over the next four years.

The worst affected area is Medway, where 34 charities are to lose in total funding worth more than £87,000. Of those 34, more than half are said to be facing substantive cuts.

They include: Action for Borstal Community; Ashdown Medway Accommodation Trust; Avante - Step Ahead; Avenues Trust; Borden Riding School, Casa Support, Crime Stoppers, Crossroads, Demelza Hospice, Home-Start Medway, Hope (Kent) Ltd, In Touch, Kent People’s Trust, Medway Cyrenians, Medway Mediation, Orbit Housing Association, West Kent Housing and Young Lives Foundation.

In total, funding for voluntary groups and charities is being reduced by £638,768 according to the survey.

Maidstone council is reducing spending on various service agreements with charities by more than £17,000 to £234,000 in 2011-12. Four charities face substantive cuts while six are dealing with minor reductions.

Among those seeing grant cuts are Age Concern; the Maidstone Volunteer Bureau and the Maidstone Mediation Service. Maidstone Area Arts Council is having its funding of £2,613 withdrawn.

However, funding for several others is being maintained at last year’s levels.

Ashford council says it will spend £151,464 in grants to 17 organisations this year compared to the £356,774 it awarded to 26 organisations last year. Of the 17 being funded by the council, ten will receive the same as they did last year.

Those losing out here include Citizens Advice Bureau, whose yearly grant has fallen by £25,000 to £100,000 - a 20 per cent drop. Relate, which gives marriage and relationship guidance, is to receive no money at all after getting £2,800 last year.

Brockhanger Community Association, which received £27,660 in 2010 will get nothing this year.

Canterbury City Council is reducing funding to various voluntary groups by £14,100 to £440,300 in 2011-2012. Seven charities face significant cuts while four face minor grant reductions.

Dover council is cutting funding to seven organisations with the Citizens Advice Bureau seeing its grant reduced by £20,000 to £110,500.

Councils who have maintained funding and will not be cutting grants are: Dartford, Gravesham, Swale and Tonbridge and Malling.

In a statement, the Department for Communities and Local Government said:

"In their approach to budget setting, the best councils are showing that they understand that a strong, thriving voluntary sector is more important now than ever and could be the key to providing high quality, good value services to their residents. But this is not the case everywhere.

Councils that are failing to recognise the importance of the sector are being short-sighted in their approach."

Councils respond

Councils said they were doing what they could to protect funding in the face of government cuts.

Canterbury City Council said: "The council remains very supportive of the work done by the voluntary sector, which is why we are allocating grants of nearly half a million pounds this year to organisations that do important work in the community. Despite having to find considerable savings in our overall budget, the total sum allocated is only slightly less than last year, and we believe this will help them continue to provide excellent services to local people."

"We also support the voluntary and community sector through concessionary rents and top ups to council tax relief. And we give council officer time to help the sector in their bids for funding and in the running and organising of some of their events and programmes."

Ashford council leader Cllr Peter Wood (Con) said: "Local authorities up and down the country are facing significant cuts in government funding which will have an impact upon the level and range of services we can provide. Despite this tough economic background, the council continues to provide significant support to voluntary, community and parish organisations across the borough."

Medway council said: "Like all authorities, we have experienced a cut in our funding from central government, which has left us with some hard choices."

"But despite this, the council have maintained funding to more than 120 voluntary organisations, with increases to funding in some areas, such as a £21,700 increase to Carers First, a charity supporting Medway’s carers and no reductions for charities offering short breaks for children and young people with disabilities."

"In Medway, we have experienced an unprecedented 12.9 per cent reduction in funding from government for this year, leaving us with a gap of £23.5million, while still providing vital services such as schools, highways, waste and social care to our 260,000 residents and safeguarding the area’s 19 Sure Start centres."

Maidstone council said its cuts in grants amounted to less than one per cent of the total amount of savings the council had to find in 2011-12.