Seven more groups secure funding as grant appeals upheld

The groups are ADHD and Autism Support Harrow; Flash Musicals; Girlguiding Middlesex North West ; Harrow and Wealdstone Shopmobility; Harrow Inter Faith Council; Ignite Trust; and Relate London North West. 

The Council received 33 appeals from voluntary organisations that failed to secure grant funding in April. It followed a record number of applications for funding this year with 131 bids asking for a total of £2.3m. The total grants fund is £669,360. 

In April, the Council provisionally awarded 85% of the funding applied for to 31 applications, subject to the outcome of the appeal process. The groups will now receive 73% of the funding applied for. 

Cllr Bill Stephenson, Leader of Harrow Council, said: 

"We have looked at the appeals very closely, including an independent assessment, and I am pleased that we will award funding to seven more organisations.  

"We have outstanding voluntary and community groups in Harrow and the Council is doing everything it can to support them. 

"However, the severity of government cuts means we cannot give them as much funding as we would like. While our budget is being cut by 30%, we are limiting reductions in total funding to the voluntary sector to 15% but this year received an unprecedented number of applications. 

"Awarding these 38 groups 73% of the funding they asked for is the fairest way to give support as many groups as we can. 

"This was always an interim year and we will soon be announcing proposals to reform voluntary sector funding in Harrow, moving to more commissioning of services to give organisations greater continuity, alongside a small grants fund.  

"We want to ensure that Third Sector organisations are able to access funds and premises from a range of agencies as well as the Council. The aim is to move organisations away from a culture of dependency on the Council and assist the voluntary sector to look at ways it can become sustainable."