Dozens of the borough's voluntary organisations are this week coming to terms with funding cuts as Croydon Council looks to balance its books.

Thirty groups have had their grants slashed as the council looks to make £50,000 worth of savings on last year's £770,000 grant aid bill.

A further 31 groups will have their grants frozen and only five will benefit from increased levels of funding.

The move has meant the more financially sound groups and charities suffering the most as the council opts to give support to those who would not otherwise be able to maintain their current level of service.

Anne Smith is secretary for the Croydon Voluntary Association for the Blind, one of the groups to feel the pinch. It has had its grant halved and she felt the cuts were just penalising them for balancing the books.

She told the Guardian : "Over the past couple of years we have had our grant cut from £14,500 to £10,000 and now down to £5,000. The council has seen that our accounts are good and that we are in the black at the moment and so cut the grant.

She continued: "Although it hopefully won't affect our service next year the reserves will soon run out and once that happens then the service will obviously be affected."

Social services sub committee chairman Wally Garratt said: "Unfortunately given the council's tight financial position and the need to meet budgetary requirements, giving more help to the most deserving has inevitably meant that some others will have less than they would have liked."

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