The pot of cash available for grants to Falmouth's small community projects is quickly dwindling with just over £1,000 left to last until March next year.

At the beginning of the current civic year, the council allocated £7,000 to it's small community grants budget, but with seven months to go until the next budget falls into place 85 per cent has already been used up.

At a meeting of the town's finance and general planning committee on Monday (5/9), the committee chair Candy Atherton told councillors that if they approved in full all the grants they had received for this month, they would be left with just £180 in the kitty.

But by reducing the amounts awarded to certain projects the committee managed to not hand out an additional £1,000, saving it for future requests.

They also discussed, but did not agree on, the possibility of topping up the small grants budget from another pot of cash.

Town clerk Mark Williams told the Packet after the meeting that £1,146 remained in the small grants budget, out of a total unallocated grants budget of £3,996 - from £33,000 set aside this year.

This is because the council now awards grants in four categories: small community grants for community projects, annual earmarked grants which have been agreed before the financial year, annual events grants, and community events which can be applied for to fund small one-off occasions.

One of the rules of the small grants scheme is that an organisation can only benefit once in every three years, unless there are special circumstances.

Mr Williams said: "Unlike the other grant categories small grant budget setting is a lick your finger and stick it in the air exercise, we don’t know how many will apply nor how much they want each year.

"Also as other grant awarding bodies like Cornwall Council dry up there is likely more demand at the local level."

He added: "Grants are always a discussion point when setting budgets, and given the above will likely be again for next year."