A ‘COMMUNITY solutions’ fund for volunteers in West Berkshire has failed and will be closed down with hundreds of thousands unspent.

In 2017, £400,000 was set aside to get volunteers and parish councils to take on work like cutting grass, looking after public toilets, and running libraries, community centres and playgrounds.

Half of the money came from Greenham Common Trust, with the other half from West Berkshire Council.

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But over the past three years, the fund received just four bids — and only two of those were successful. The community solutions fund awarded £12,000 to replace a community minibus in Bucklebury, and another £12,000 went to Hungerford Library.

Now, the council has admitted the fund failed, and will close it down. The leftover money will be still be kept for volunteer groups, although it is so far unclear how it will be allocated.

Councillor Rick Jones (Con, Tilehurst & Purley), lead for community wellbeing, said: “The fund has been very little used. Three or four years on, there’s a better use of the money.”

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He was speaking at a public meeting of the executive on April 30, when councillors voted do shut the fund.

Cllr Erik Pattenden (Lib Dem, Greenham) said: “A fund where only £24,000 has been allocated in three years — from an original £400,000 — doesn’t sound like it has been very successful, despite its worthy aims.”

Cllr Jones replied: “To some extent, the criticism of it being not successful, is correct. That’s the reason we want to close it down.

“We want to move this more towards the voluntary sector, where we do have a number of community groups who would benefit from funding.”