CUTS to local charities and voluntary organisations, council tax increases and a possible increase in car parking charges — these are the tough choices facing West Devon Borough Council as its budget gap gets ever wider.

The council is facing a £900,000 funding gap by 2020/21, with the gap forecast to grow to £3.4-million over the next five years. The ever increasing gap is largely due to cuts in central government funding.

At its hub committee meeting on Tuesday, the council faced numerous tough decisions in its budget setting process.

Arguably the most emotionally charged were the decisions to cut key funding to a number of crucial voluntary organisations and charities in the borough.

Among those worst affected will the borough’s Devon Youth Games set-up, which is set to lose all £3,000 of its partnership funding from the council, while West Devon Community and Voluntary Services (CVS) and Torridge, North, Mid and West Devon Citizens Advice are set to lose 10% of their council support — costing the CAB £3,290 a year.

The only partnership organisation given a reprieve was Okehampton Community Recreation Association (OCRA) — its £2,000 grant has been kept in place for the time being.

Stuart Lord from OCRA, said that while it was great news that the OCRA grant would remain, the news that the Devon Youth Games team would not receive funding was hugely disappointing.

Mr Lord said: ‘The Devon Youth Games funding is key to West Devon’s entry. It funds the co-ordinator role over 10 months to bring the community sessions and then the teams together across 19 sports.

‘It funds insurance, facility hire, coach and club support, promotion and transport.

‘It was worrying to observe that decisions so pivotal to community groups and local people are made on non-transparent or wrong information.

‘We had been assured this funding was not under review and have planned or budget to this effect.

‘It is a great shame that West Devon will go from hosting, having record team entries and winning the event to not entering like other councils in 2018.’

Karen Nolan, chief executive of West Devon CVS, said: ‘I think it is very unfortunate.

‘As I have said to the council, any cut for us as an organisation, when we have already pared our costs down to the bone, is going to have a significant effect.

‘What it probably means is that we are going to have to target our efforts.

‘We will get additional funding from elsewhere but it won’t apply to the whole of West Devon – it will be for Okehampton or for Tavistock, but it will come with conditions attached. It means that it will be harder for us to deliver a consistent service across the borough.’

Leader of the council, Cllr Philip Sanders, said all 31 borough councillors appreciated the work done by such organisations and had every sympathy with the organisations involved.

He said to fellow members: ‘Today is the first of many, many difficult decisions members face. We face them because the council made a decision not to move in council with South Hams. That was your choice. Some wanted to, some did not. Regardless of how you voted or how you feel about it, we have a situation where we have to balance the budget. It’s not going to go away.

‘It isn’t going to look very healthy in a year’s time. We have to take every opportunity we have to save every single penny that we can. We have to look very carefully and very critically at every opportunity. Like every saving opportunity, it has to be done as soon as possible.’

Cllr Tony Leech, ward member for Okehampton North, said: ‘All these grants will eventually go but we should give organisations plenty of notice as to when this will happen. They can not afford these cuts at this moment, having budgeted for the coming year.’

Councillors also agreed to a council tax increase of 2.99% — around £6.52 a year for a Band D property — for 2018-19 and will continue to look at the possibility of increasing car parking charges.

On Monday night, the council’s car parking strategy group met with business representatives to discuss the effects a potential rise in parking tariffs might have on trade.

At the hub meeting, councillors discussed a potential rise of the all-day tariff to £2.50, while decreasing the all-day tariff in underused car parks like Tavistock’s Riverside Car Park to attract more users. No final decision has yet been made on parking tariffs.

The council tax support grant for town and parish councils is also set to be reduced by 8.6% for 2018-19. These decisions are expected to be rubber stamped by the full council on February 20.