Council’s charity cash unspent

JUST 6.2% of Caerphilly County Council’s budget for charities and small groups has been spent, latest figures have shown.

Between the beginning of June and the end of September, £5,330 of the voluntary sector fund was handed out, while in April and May, £2,140 was spent – a total of £7,470 with £110,081 still in the pot.

Grants to the voluntary sector go to local groups such as sports teams, allotments, choirs and charities. There is no maximum grant an organisation can receive, but the average amount ranges from £35£500.

Roger Evans, a member of the Voluntary Sector Representatives Committee, had previously called on the council to “simplify” the application process for small grants.

At a voluntary sector panel meeting in July, members supported the proposal that a task and finish group be set up to review the criteria and processes for the grants.

Four months on, Mr Evans said nothing has been done. He added: “We find it frustrating that no progress has been made to go into this issue at a detailed level – we have around £5,000 being spent, but they still have well over £100,000 unspent . ... Every other council in Gwent manages to spend its allocated amount. The reason for Caerphilly’s underspend can only be explained by the bureaucracy in the application form.”

At a voluntary sector panel meeting last week Stephen Harris, head of financial services at the council, apologised for the delay.

Plaid Cymru councillor Judith Pritchard, who represents St Cattwg, said: “We’re not having much success in dispensing this money to voluntary organisations at the moment because we have got large underspends. We need to change things.”