WEST Somerset Advice Bureau (WSAB) has controversially had a grant cut as councillors argued over the West Somerset Council budget.

WSAB trustee and volunteer Keith Routledge pleaded with the council not to withdraw the £3,400 grant, saying the service was struggling having already cut its staff from nine to four in past two years.

"As many of you know, the Bureau is a charity that is well-respected for achieving significant outcomes for the West Somerset community," Mr Routledge said.

"Bids to fund advice work have not been successful so to address that risk, we are forsaking funds that we put aside for building improvement work to hire another skilled adviser," he said.

"Obtaining funds for building work is more likely than for advice work."

Mr Routledge said the trustees, like the council, were looking at working closely together with a neighbouring bureau, Citizens Advice Sedgemoor, in order to save costs.

Defending the proposal to cut the grant, Cllr Mandy Chilcott said: "This council does not underestimate the value of volunteers, you are appreciated."

She said that WSC was launching a lottery which was designed to support charities like WSAB and hoped that could make up for the loss of the direct grant.

However Conservative Cllr Rollo Clifford was clearly moved by Mr Routledge's words, and said he would not be in favour of supporting the budget if the grant was removed.

"Why can't we just amend that £3,400 for this very worthy cause. I am concerned we are robbing Peter to pay Paul, if we do not support volunteers it is our own officers who will be dealing with many of these concerns," he said.

Council leader Anthony Trollope-Bellew said the council was forced to make difficult decisions due to its financial position, but if they did not make cuts like this now they would only have to make harder cuts further down the line.

The motion to reinstall the grant was narrowly lost by eight votes to 12.

Overall council tax will go up by £5 a year, and the council has had to delve into its reserves in order to deliver services.

Council tax on a Band D property would increase to £152.32 per year for West Somerset Council’s proportion of the bill - £150.56 for council services and £1.76 to contribute to flood protection works delivered by the Somerset Rivers Authority.

This means the average Band D council taxpayer received all West Somerset Council’s services for £2.92 per week.

The outlook for the following year – 2018-19 – is even bleaker with a forecast budget gap of more than £800,000.

A further problem with trying to create a balanced budget was the re-valuation of Hinkley Point B from £8m to £29.4m.

West Somerset Councillors continue to lobby Government as the business rates valuation again threatens the stability of the council’s financial position particularly due to the risk of large refunds.

Cllr Chilcott said: “The business rates system is extremely complex. On the face of it the substantial increase in the valuation of Hinkley B should be good news for the council and provide us with extra funding at a time when we really need it.

“However, we know to our cost that valuation appeals can be successful and this presents us with significant uncertainty as we continue to budget for the future.

"I would like to make it abundantly clear that we have no criticism of EDF Energy – it is the system that is causing the problems.”