EAST Hampshire District Council’s Cabinet has decided to reinstate grant funding for partner-funded organisations for one year only.

The decision was taken at a meeting on May 24 with the aim of “supporting the organisations to move forwards over the coming year toward delivering the valuable services they provided within the community in a more financially sustainable way for the future”.

The Cabinet endorsed the proposal, put forward at the district council’s full council meeting on February 22, after partner-funded organisations registered strong protest over the stated intention by councillors to bring an end to a three-year funding agreement, and to carry out a review of partner-funded organisation funding policy to establish how best to support the most vulnerable communities.

Among those impacted by the decision was Alton Community Association, which stood to lose £6,800 - a sum which the organisation would have found potentially crippling.

As a result of the temporary reprieve, eight organisations will receive grant funding for 2018/19 totalling £51,500. They are the Phoenix Centre, Kingsley Centre, Alton Community Association, Liss Community Association, Bordon Furniture Helpline, Whitehill and Bordon Community Association, Proteus Theatre, and Horndean Community Association.