Delays in funding for voluntary groups in Cardiff have caused serious financial shortfalls for many service providers.

At a crisis meeting last week to discuss the implications of a four-month wait for money from Cardiff Council, delegates were told that groups were now facing the prospect of redundancies and service cuts.

Paul Warren, of special needs support group Snap, said the problems were the result of a lack of consultation "and very little, if any, thought about what the repercussions of the cuts would be for various organisations".

He warned: "This is particularly serious for smaller groups, some of whom rely solely on the council for funding. For them the situation is critical."
A Cardiff Council spokesperson said the grants to local organisations played an important role in the delivery of services to local people.

"The importance of that contribution is reflected in the fact that the value of these grants is now close to £5m a year," she said.

"When we are dealing with such large sums of money, it is important that our decisions are taken properly and with due regard to all of the information required to make the right decision."

She added that the system had undergone major changes to improve accountability and transparency but that all organisations should by now have received their grant offers.