CHARITIES have forced councillors to reconsider cost-cutting moves that would affect voluntary organisations.

Lobbying by concerned groups led to the authority's cabinet postponing a decision to scrap an internally managed school buildings hire scheme, which gives charities a 50 per cent discount on lettings.

The cabinet was due to consider last Thursday whether, instead, the charities and community groups should let the rooms directly from the schools, which would provide no guarantee the concessionary rates would be maintained.

Dr Pravin Shah, legal and general secretary of Harrow Council for Justice, said: "We are happy the council is looking at it again. After some councillors started asking questions of council officers, there was a change [of mind].

"If the council wants to change the lettings, it needs to be done in a proper way.

"We want the council to make sure it's not discriminatory to anybody. For example, Canons High School and Park High

School have halls of similar sizes but one may decide, because more people are using it, to say, 'there's supply and demand and we are increasing prices'."

The council also wanted to consult on providing alternative accommodation for charities which rent its own offices in at Community Premises Northolt Road, South Harrow.

The 26 organisations that share the offices said in a joint statement: "Under the circumstances, our organisations, which do very valuable voluntary work for the community, are deeply concerned that we will not be able to continue to provide these services to the community if the council goes ahead with the proposed changes to the community premises."

Only one of the groups received a council grant this year and many rely on the council grant to cover rent.

Councillor David Perry (Labour) said at Thursday's meeting: "I would like to defer the decision. This is a sensitive issue and as the new portfolio holder for community and cultural services, I want to get this right.

"We have recently conducted a consultation, the results of which I would like time to consider further."

Afterwards Conservative councillor Paul Osborn said: "I made it clear the Conservatives felt it would damage and dishearten our already dejected voluntary organisations, and that the figures they were using to justify the decision seemed flawed."

A date has not yet been set for when the cabinet will review the school buildings hire scheme.