Wiltshire Council plans to end funding for friends' groups

Ms Lewis said: "It is the only place they go to every week"

Elderly friendship groups could lose their council grants under new budget plans.

Wiltshire Council will cut £60,000 in funding for the lunch clubs for elderly people if its proposals are approved.

The council revealed its grants for learning disability friendship groups might also cease.

Kerry Lewis, organiser of St John's Honeypot, said the clubs mean a lot to the members who are now very worried.

"I would say for at least 80% of them it is the only place they go to every week. We are the only people they see," she said.

"It has affected all the clubs in Trowbridge. A lot of clubs did not reopen after Covid because funding got cut," she added.

Ms Lewis told the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council has changed applications for funding and money is only allocated to people who are already under the Wiltshire care system.

"We are just a lunching club and we cannot look after people who are in that level of care, we have not got the facilities - we only meet in the little church hall," she said.

"We have been fortunate enough that we have had people come forward and give us donations and we have also applied for grants from the Wiltshire Community Foundation charity and they have given us a grant for this year."

Speaking on the new budget plans, Wiltshire Council leader Richard Clewer said: "Friendship clubs is a decision from last year. It's not a decision I want to revisit."

Last year he argued the move was not a cut in funding but a way of finding a more "equitable" system.

He added: "The current system was set up many years ago, before Wiltshire became a unitary authority, and provides a variable service with some areas receiving significant funding support for various clubs while other areas have little. This is why we're putting a new model in place to ensure opportunities are equitable across the county.

"Last year we advertised a new tender to provide daytime and evening opportunities called the Living my Life framework. Lunch and friendship clubs can apply to join this framework at any time to support people with eligible social care needs.

"We've been in contact with clubs since the change was agreed last year and we're happy to talk to any clubs about the new model and other options available to them.

"They can also apply to Area Boards through the Health and Wellbeing funding for one-off support and I would urge them to consider that."

The council will make a final decision on 21 February.