Staffordshire Best Kept Village charity at risk due to Government cuts
The sixty-year-old charity behind Staffordshire's Best Kept Village competition is under threat after the government warned it may cut its budget.
The Community Council of Staffordshire, which supports villages across the county, depends on the grant for a fifth of its funding.
Without it, say charity bosses, the organisation's ability to survive long-term is in danger.
But they say this year's Best Kept Village competition is not affected and will go ahead as planned.
The organisation, which helps hard-up families across the county, most recently introduced a bulk oil-buying scheme, which now has 400 members, to help reduce domestic heating bills.
The Staffordshire branch, one of 38 similar groups across the UK, funds or leads hundreds of projects to help tackle issues such as the lack of affordable homes, broadband and public transport. It also helps the elderly in rural parts of the county and is the sole support for the volunteers who run Staffordshire's 200 village halls.
Charity chiefs say six decades of 'crucial' support is under threat from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An online petition has been launched appealing to the Government not to withdraw the funding, delivered through Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE).
Chris Welch, chief executive of the Community Council of Staffordshire, said:"We have been advised by civil servants to expect no further funding from Defra.
"For many years the network has been supported by Defra or its predecessors and now we hear this money is going to be cut which is going to undermine our sustainability. It really is a blow for us.
"We're not shutting up shop but the quality of our work will be affected. Without this support, communities will be less resilient, services will be lost and more people will become lonely and isolated.
"We expect a decision sometime this month so we have started lobbying for support now and urging people to sign our e-petition."
He said the council provides a wide range of advice, information and support to voluntary groups, liaising between statutory and voluntary sectors at all levels across a wide range of issues.
The charity, based in Chapel Street, Stafford, also runs community transport schemes, assesses housing needs and supports older people to stay in their homes.
Defra spokeswoman Susannah Lally said: "The ACRE Network works hard at the local level to ensure the rural voice is heard and to inspire community action.
"We are carefully considering future funding and no final decision has been made."
