'Lifeline' community funding scrapped by council
BBCA "lifeline" funding programme which supported community groups has been scrapped.
Darlington Borough Council's Stronger Communities Fund had allowed councillors to give £1,000 a year to groups that enhanced local communities.
Green Party councillor Anna-Maria Toms criticised axing the scheme and said it was important to give residents money they could control.
But Labour's Nick Wallis, cabinet member for children and young people, said the funding was something the council could no longer afford.
Toms said the scheme had recently been used to help a group hold weekly events at a church and connect residents with a warm space to combat loneliness.
"It is the only part of the council budget that can be directly influenced by residents to support them in ways that they choose for their local communities," she said.
"This can be a lifeline for vulnerable residents to access other services."
Cost of fund
The money had also supported non-profit groups with rent or events, had provided equipment for Brownies and Guides groups and had paid for park benches and play equipment.
The Stronger Communities Fund was launched in 2019 and cost about £50,000 overall, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
However, only 23 out of 50 councillors used the funding over the last year.
A joint Conservative and Green Party motion to keep the Stronger Communities Fund failed by 23 votes to 27.
Wallis said to keep the fund would be "financial incompetence".
"We are scrambling around for every penny and the opposition just don't get it," he said.