As local community organisations, we would like to share some facts regarding Brighton and Hove City Council's discretionary grants budget.

The £1.6 million, described as a "hefty sum", is 50 per cent lower than the national average given by local authorities.

Newham Council, population 230,000, has a grants budget of £7 million; Portsmouth Council, population 190,000, grants budget £4.5 million.

Throughout the grants process, the council has repeatedly breached its own policies and procedures.

Many of our emails and letters have not yet received a response, yet it is the council's policy to respond to all correspondence within ten working days and complaints within 15.

The 41-page grant application form demonstrates the council's failure to reduce bureaucracy. While volunteers hit the deadlines given, the council missed its own by nine months.

The executive cabinet met behind closed doors and without minutes, failing to provide a transparent process. The agreed scoring criteria have been ignored and new criteria introduced without consultation.

The last straw is the council's refusal to publish the full grants committee papers. These are published every year and explain the reasons behind the decisions made.

No councillors outside the executive group, local taxpayers, community organisations, unions or partnership agencies have been provided access to this information.

The council insists all applicants "were fairly appraised and scored under the new criteria". Perhaps it could provide us with its evidence.

-Name and address supplied