A RANGE of community groups in Keighley are receiving thousands of pounds worth of grants from Keighley Town Council.

The spending was put forward and accepted at a meeting of the council's finance and audit committee.

Speaking at the latest full meeting of the town council, where the funding was ratified, finance and audit chairman Cllr Barry Thorne, said: "While we have been losing services, we should be proud that as a town council we've stepped into the breach and helped some of the most vulnerable people in the town."

Among the groups and ventures to receive grants from the town council are Creative Arts, which has been given £10,000 for its 2019 Keighley Film Festival.

Keighley Association for Women and Children's Centre, in Lawkholme, has also been given £10,000 which will be spent on repairs and safety improvements to its building.

A grant of £2,600 has gone to Keighley in Bloom, while Long Lee and Thwaites Brow Action Group has received £6,000 to fund a disabled toilet and modernised kitchen at Long Lee Village Hall.

A further £10,000 a year for three years is going to Aire, Wharfe and Craven Counselling, which offers counselling and psychotherapy services.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Thorne said: "A lot of what we're doing is picking things up in areas where there have been major cuts. We know there are serious issues with mental health provision for example, and we shouldn't turn our backs on that.

"Also, the council's ward fund has been a great boon to the town and it's in the budget again for the next financial year.

"And we've managed this without increasing our precept for a fourth year running."