A suggestion that Marlborough town council should reduce its £1,000 grant to Home-Start Kennet, which helps families in trouble, met with an angry response at Monday’s meeting of the Finance and Policy Committee.
Councillor Stewart Dobson, leader of the council’s Tory group, appeared unaware that Wiltshire Council has cut off all funding to the charity, which is based in Silverless Street, Marlborough.
“The work Home-Start does with families who can’t cope is so important,” protested Councillor Richard Pitts. “This is money well spent. If we had the funds we should give them substantially more.”
Marlborough’s mayor, Councillor Edwina Fogg, agreed. “Home-Start helps young families near the poverty line,” she told the committee. It is vital that we support them.”
“Marlborough is seen as an upmarket town with designer shops in the High Street, but there are other people who need all the help they can get.”
And deputy mayor Councillor Guy Loosmore joined in, pointing out that Wiltshire’s austerity measures was putting increasing pressure on the town council to provide help wherever possible.
“And the situation will get worse,” he warned. “We need to come up with a new policy so that we can manage the funding we have.”
Some concern was expressed that Home-Start Kennet also aided the families of the armed forces based at Tidworth and Councillor Dobson asked for the £1,000 grant to be ring-fenced so that it was used only for helping Marlborough families.
Wiltshire Council originally gave Home-Start Kennet a grant of £49,000 but halved this in 2011-12 and then abolished it altogether in the current financial year.
A spokeswoman for Home-Start told Marlborough News Online: “Our position is that the £1,000 from Marlborough town council covered support to two families, for six months, in Marlborough. However, £1,000 in a year, does not cover all of the work we do in Marlborough.”
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