ROCHFORD District Council has allocated more than £100,000 of grants to local community and voluntary groups for the next year.

A total of £105,000 has been made available to help groups across the district. These include the Citizens Advice Bureau and the Rayleigh Scout group.

Local groups were invited to submit applications for a grant by November, before a group of councillors made the final decision on who should benefit.

The Citizens Advice Bureau will receive £60,000, while the Rayleigh, Rochford and District Association for Voluntary Service will get £15,000.

Other groups to benefit will be Carers Choice, which will receive £1,450 to help expand existing respite and support services for carers in Rochford, Wakering Young People’s Community Project, which will receive £1,450 to run a project to give young people life and employability skills, and the Rayleigh Scout group, which will receive £370 to improve its Scout hut.

Councillor Simon Smith, in charge of finance, said: “The council appreciates the vital role community and voluntary groups play in the lives of Rochford district residents and the support they provide.

“I’m pleased, despite cuts in our grant from central government, we have still managed to provide funding to help these organisations run the services they do that enrich the lives of our residents.”