CASH-STRAPPED Ribble Valley borough councillors are determined to give as many grants as possible despite having their cash aid budget slashed.

Members of the recreation and leisure committee decided that the £30,000 which has been made available for grants, should be split between sporting excellence grants to the tune of £1,000, cultural grants totalling £3,000 and the remaining £26,000 for recreational grants.

It was also agreed that sporting excellence grants would not be given to the same people two years running.

The chairman and vice-chairman of the committee as well as their shadow counterparts, along with the director of commercial services Mr John Heap, will examine all grant applications.

Liberal-Democrat councillor Graham Sowter who, at a meeting last week had voted in favour of a 12-month moratorium on grants, called for the parishes to look carefully at the money they raised themselves and asked if they could examine means of raising more cash.

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