Community groups given £140k boost

Some members of the council's cabinet have hailed the handout as a boos

Community groups in Torbay have been given a total of more than £140,000 for projects in some of the area's most deprived locations.

The 10 groups, nine in Paignton and one in Brixham, have been named as successful bidders for shares in Torbay Council's community grant fund.

Some members of the council's cabinet have hailed the handout as a boost for deserving causes, but opposition councillors have called it a "missed opportunity".

A total of 69 funding applications were received before being cut down to a shortlist by council officers before and then passed on to cabinet members.

The community groups receiving the funding are:

• Children's Week (Torbay) for a mobile PA system – £1,616

• Church 180 for a flat renovation, cost of materials – £15,000

• Foxhole Community Association for replacement equipment for young people's free meals – £20,000

• Gaia Giving CIC for a gazebo to enable year-round access – £4,122

• Great Parks Community Fund for capital works funding – £35,000

• Home Start South and West Devon Ltd for volunteer recruitment activities – £20,000

• Sound Communities for new outreach activity and refurbishment of bus – £20,000

• The Music Factory for new equipment and instruments – £4,000

• Torbay Citizens Advice Bureau for capital costs for a new pop-up advice surgery giving visibility in deprived wards – £10,400

• Torbay Furniture Project CIC for providing recycled furniture to deprived areas – £10,000

Councillor Jackie Thomas said the objective was to support vital voluntary and community organisations in areas where they were most needed.

Councillor Darren Cowell told the meeting he was disappointed with the choices, with one of the charities already having a nationwide income of millions of pounds every year.

He added: "It's a missed opportunity to build on the legacy of the Making Melville Marvellous project in Torquay, particularly in places like Winner Street, Church Street and St Michaels.

"If I was a member of the cabinet I would be sending this list back to the drawing board."