COMMUNITY projects face uncertainty as cash which councillors hand out locally could be slashed by thousands in some areas.

The most deprived areas of the borough would no longer get the lion’s share of the £300,000 pot which would be distributed equally between all 20 wards if the changes take place.

While most wards would gain from the proposal, Farnworth, Breightmet and central parts of the borough like Halliwell, Great Lever and Rumworth would lose nearly £100,000 between them.

Executive cabinet member for communities Nadim Muslim said the proposal is a “step in the right direction” towards introducing a fairer and more transparent way of funding in Bolton Council.

He said: “Acknowledging that previous funding through various pots had been using methodology that favoured certain areas, this new system will ensure that all wards are treated equally.

“In being realistic, we must also acknowledge that the funding for Area Working and Neighbourhood Management is of a budget of £300,000, and therefore can achieve limited impact in many wards with any significance.”

The Conservative member urged his colleagues to approve the move as soon as possible to give councillors certainty over their allocations when updating residents at area forums which started up again this week.

But Labour called in the decision for further scrutiny as oppositions councillors raised their concerns at a cabinet meeting on Monday.

Cllr Nick Peel told the cabinet that these pots of cash were always there to tackle deprivation and issues surrounding that.

He said: “If you don’t believe the ward councillors have been targeting their neighbourhood management money in areas of deprivation like they should have been, then surely give further instruction that that’s what it’s for. Surely the argument is to work out why it’s had no impact.”

There are three pots of cash available to councillors to spend in their own areas, two of which must be spent on activities that will improve outcomes in deprived areas and “narrow the gap”.

The Tories have proposed redistributing all the money at a flat rate so that every ward receives £15,000 each, as opposed to allocating 75 per cent of the total according to deprivation statistics.

Farnworth councillor Paul Sanders, whose ward is set to lose £18,548 from the proposal, told the cabinet that he and his colleagues already had plans to spend the money on a youth club, a food bank and the Farnworth town centre Christmas event.

He recognised the need for “transparent and accountable decision making” but said that implementing the flat-rate funding immediately is like “putting the cart before the horse”.

The Farnworth and Kearsley First group leader urged the cabinet to continue using the existing formula for the rest of the year until the review is complete.

He said: “Before ripping up the current model, let’s first have the review to reveal if there are flaws that need revising – and of course whether there have been cases of incorrect spending.”

“We are deeply disappointed that we may, in effect, be marked down because of other areas in the borough potentially not doing as expected with the monies.”

The changes have been put on hold until a scrutiny committee looks at the proposal and makes a recommendation.

All councillors would vote on the proposal if the scrutiny committee refers the matter to be discussed at the next full council meeting before it returns to the cabinet which will have the final say.