Over a Quarter of a Million Pounds Granted to Bedford Borough's Voluntary Sector

Bedford Borough Council's Grants Committee, chaired by Mayor Dave Hodgson, met last week and allocated £276,000 to voluntary sector groups carrying out a wide range of extremely important functions within the Borough. Grants were made to a variety of groups such as BECHAR, which provides vital services to the homeless and rootless, the Citizen's Advice Bureau, Bedford Women's Refuge and Victim Support.

The total value of groups' applications for the total available funding pot of £276,000 was £790,393. Mayor Dave Hodgson announced at the meeting that he will be launching a fundamental review of the way the Council's grants are administered from next year, with voluntary groups themselves playing a central role in formulating the new arrangements. Commenting after the meeting, he said: "Of course we wish there was more we could give, but I am pleased we were able to allocate over a quarter of a million pounds to enable local voluntary and charity groups to provide crucial services. These services include those provided to some of the most vulnerable people in our local communities.'

"We have listened to local voluntary sector groups and we will be addressing the way in which grants are administered in future. There will be a fundamental review of the system, with the voluntary groups themselves taking a lead in shaping proposals for the new arrangements. The voluntary sector in Bedford Borough does fantastic work, and we need to do as much as we can to support them in delivering vital services for residents. We know, for example, that voluntary groups want to be able to plan on a firmer footing, so we will seek to move to longer funding agreements where possible, rather than continuing on a year-to-year basis."