Grants will be made available again for county councillors to continue to support local businesses and organisations across Hampshire.

However, each councillor will see the amount reduced from £8,000 to £5,000 due to the Hampshire County Council’s financial situation.

At a meeting of the authority’s cabinet on Tuesday, September 23, Cllr Juliet Henderson reiterated to members that the grants are one of the most valuable things the county council does.

Cllr Henderson said: “We see pockets of deprivation in our divisions; we see communities that find it very difficult to access funds, and I think the continuation of the scheme would be really good.

“It doesn’t mean that it can’t be tweaked and adjusted to make it even better and more cost-effective.

“It is an incredibly valuable scheme and I would be very sad should we lose it.”

Over the last four years, £2.3 million has been awarded to 2,164 organisations to support festivals, county shows, defibrillators, arts, performances, music events, and food banks.

However, the review of the data rang alarm bells when officers identified that some organisations have “a detailed awareness” of the scheme and process, which enables them to benefit more effectively.

The data also showed that multiple applications were received from organisations across separate divisions, which resulted in organisations receiving funding from different councillors, sometimes for the same project.

The concerns, in addition to the council’s financial situation, led officers to present a recommendation to halt the grants.

This would allow the council to generate £650,000 in savings to help the savings programme.

Due to the scheme’s value to local communities, cabinet members agreed to continue with the grants but reduce the amount of money allocated to each councillor.

By doing so, the council will continue to support these events and organisations while generating savings of £390,000.

Leader of Hampshire County Council, Cllr Nick Adams-King, said: “Looking at it, it makes you aware of where there are improvements that could be made, and there are many opportunities for us to use the money more effectively to make improvements in our communities.

“For that reason, I think it would be a real loss to us to lose the grant system.

“That said, we still have to be aware of the financial situation in which we find ourselves and the various challenges that we have.”

The scheme will reopen on October 1 to accept applications for the 2025/26 financial year.