Croydon Council has reconsidered a new funding package for the voluntary sector after an outcry following its controversial cuts in June.

The authority cut funding by 60 per cent to give just six organisations £625,000 over the next four years.

After intense public pressure, it has expanded this to fund an extra two groups; Croydon Accessible Transport and the Rape Crisis Centre, who will share £72,000.

Fiona Elvines, from the Rape Crisis Centre, said: "We very relieved to have been given our funding back. It was such a big cut to services for the women of Croydon and put a lot of pressure on us.

"We would like to thank all our supporters across Croydon and London who petitioned the council and called to tell them of their dismay at the cuts causing them to reverse their decision."

However, 39 of the 47 organisations previously funded by the council through the corporate budget, will still lose out on funding. Many of them, such as the Bangladesh Welfare Association, the Jagruti Asian Women’s Group and Together in Waddon, which cares for some of the most vulnerable people in the borough, face closure.

The council has also proposed a new small grants fund of £100,000 to help new organisations get off the ground and is still providing £350,000 to help charities no longer getting funding, wind up their organisations.

Coun Vidhi Mohan, cabinet member for communities, said: “We have listened to what was said and we have worked hard to find ways of improving the level of funding on offer.”

Steve Phaure, said: “We appreciate the steps the council is taking but we still don’t think they go far enough in terms of acknowledging the role that voluntary organisations have to play in providing essential services, or in showing what vision this council has for the role of voluntary and community organisations.”