A charity is urging Harrow Council to re-think its decision to end funding for a mental health project that serves thousands of people.

Mind in Harrow currently runs a 'user involvement project' for people in the borough suffering with mental health issues.

It trains and supports 30 representatives and holds regular forums for some 450 members of the project who act on behalf of people with mental health issues in Harrow.

This, Mind in Harrow says, enables around 4,000 people in the borough to give their views on council services and keeps them updated on policy changes.

It is currently funded by a £25,000 grant from the council but there are plans to stop this, which means services will end on March 31.

Harrow Council insists that there are plans to replace this support through other schemes and pointed out that it has been hampered by severe budget restraints.

Harrow Civic Centre in Station Road

Cllr Simon Brown, responsible for adults and public health at Harrow Council, said: "Harrow spends £5.5 million every year supporting people with mental health issues.

"The money pays for accommodation and medical help for people who desperately need it, pays for staff such as psychologists and nurses, and provides the space and activities, such as workshops, to support Harrow residents.

"Many national and local charities, including Mind, are involved with and supply these outstanding services, and we continue to work with those organisations every day for the benefit of our service users."

He explained that "government cutbacks" have forced the council to phase out all charitable grants across the borough.

In lieu of this funding, it has promised to "continue to deliver good works" in the voluntary sector as part of a strategy agreed with partners from this industry.

But Mark Gillham, chief executive of Mind in Harrow, believes this specific project is a vital service that must be protected.

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He said: "This project is essential for Harrow Council to be able to consult mental health service users about matters affecting their care in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and public law.

"It is a unique, specialist provision within Harrow and the council does not have sufficient in-house capacity to fulfil this function in a meaningful way - owing to reductions in their own staff - and no other organisation is funded to fulfil this role."

He added that, according to the charity's calculations, the service actually saves the council money since, at a "conservative estimate", it saves £36,000 in adult social care costs.

His campaign has been supported by the Harrow mental health services' branch of the Central and North-West London NHS Foundation Trust, which described the potential change as a "significant loss".

And a survey carried out by Mind in Harrow showed that 94 per cent of mental health service users in the borough said they "could not engage" in council consultations without the support of the project.