Nottinghamshire County Council has allocated an extra £450,000 in grants for civil society organisations following a public consultation to address proposed budget cuts.

The five-month public consultation began last September and found that 50 per cent of respondents disagreed with cuts which originally saw Nottinghamshire's voluntary sector grant budget cut from £3.3m to £1.65m.

The additional funding means civil society organisations (CSOs) in the district will retain two-thirds of its previous budget with £2.1m in grants available to them.

However, the additional £450,000 will be available only for the first year of the four-year term which starts in April. The council advises the funds will be used to support voluntary organisations as they make plans for the next three years to find alternative funding.

Councillor Kay Cutts, leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “The voluntary sector organisations were concerned that the original proposals did not give them enough time to make savings within their organisations and find alternative funding streams. The new proposal gives them extra time for this.”

The budget also outlines an additional £25,000 funding for the Citizen’s Advice Bureaux and reduces a proposed £15m cut to the housing for the elderly scheme, Supporting People, to £10m.