VULNERABLE people will lose out on vital support if Basildon Council cuts funding to two organisations, bosses have warned.

The authority currently splits its £205,000 annual advice budget between the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), Dial Basildon and Impact.

From next year, it wants to give the entire budget to the CAB, sparking fears important services will have to be scrapped.

A council scrutiny committee voted to recommend a report on the proposals to cabinet, despite leaders of the two organisations calling for it to be withdrawm.

In the report, council officers suggest giving all the money to the CAB as it offers better value for money.

The current funding arrangement has been described as inefficient.

Impact, a private organisation based at the George Hurd Centre, in Audley Way, offers support for complex legal cases involving benefit claims.

Dial, in Southernhay, specialises in disability advice and is staffed by volunteers who are either disabled or have personal experience of disability issues.

Alan Barber, a partner at Impact, said: “Both Impact and Dial provide specialist services to some of our most vulnerable citizens.

“The report implies all three agencies provide the same services and removing two will prevent duplication.

“We believe this is not the case and we would welcome the chance to meet with council officers.”

Jan Stevens, manager of Dial, added: “We feel disabled people need the specialised service, talking to people who really understand what they are going through.”

Basildon Council currently pays £130,000 annually to the CAB, £65,000 to Impact and £10,000 to Dial.

Dial fears a lack of support from the council will hinder its attempts to secure funding from other sources.

Mr Barber claims the report gives a distorted impression of the services offered by the groups.

He said: “There are lots of errors and omissions which on their own don’t greatly change things, but when taken together accumulate into something more significant.

“It mentions the CAB offering home visit service, but Impact provides that and the report doesn’t mention it.

“When you take these points, it starts to give an impression which we are concerned might mislead the committee.”

Impact generated £877,000 in 2014/15 as a result of successful claims on behalf of residents, while Dial generated more than £2.5million.

Mr Barber added: “For every pound the council invested in us, we put £13.50 back into this community.”

PLEA FOR MORE TALKS REJECTED BY COUNCILLORS

COMMITTEE members ignored pleas by Dial and Impact to allow them to discuss the contents of the report with council officers.

Critics of the council proposals claim residents in the borough will lose valuable expertise if funding to Dial and Impact is stopped.

In the report, Lesley O’Shea, manager of housing and community services, said: “There is duplication across all three providers with no clear referral route for organisations or individuals wishing to access these advice services.”

Phil Rackley, Green councillor for St Martin’s ward, is not on the scrutiny committee but attended the meeting to raise concerns about the proposals.

He said: “I doubt whether the expertise is going to be there.

“You have three organisations performing different functions, all of whom are doing a really good job.

“It is not a budget cut, so I really can’t see the case for losing that level of expertise.”

A joint letter, signed by Dial, Impact and the CAB, was produced at Tuesday’s meeting calling on the report to be withdrawn and the decision delayed.

Labour committee chairman Allan Davies and Ukip member Frank Ferguson both backed calls for the organisations to meet with council officers before a final decision is made, with a report of the meeting sent to cabinet members.

They were outvoted by Tories Andrew Barnes and Daniel Lawrence, along with Independence Group councillor Imelda Clancy, who voted to recommend the report in its current form.