A TOWN council has this week withdrawn its funding from a community transport scheme amid concerns over the transparency of accounts.

Yate Town councillors unanimously agreed they could not continue to fund Green Community Travel Ltd, previously Yate and District Community Transport, unless more clarity was provided over where the money goes.

The dispute is focused on the travel group’s apparent refusal to allows its donors a copy of financial reports.

Cllr Ian Blair, a member of the Joint Parishes Consultative Committee which met recently with the travel group to discuss concerns, said: "Personally I would say the meeting has raised more questions than it has answered.

"Questions over transparency of access are very pertinent.

"Scrutiny by a member of this council is very important and I don’t understand why they are so against it."

Yate Town Council annually pays a Service Level Agreement to the transport scheme of £7,500, which is seven per cent of the council’s total grant expenditure.

Cllr Blair went on: "It is a significant amount of grant funding they are asking for but there are serious questions over the running of that group.

"Whilst I would like to be able to support community transport I am not going to recommend that we pay out the grant."

Yate councillors are also concerned about communication with the group when dealing with complaints. Cllr Tony Davis said: "There are questions to be answered and until then we cannot do anything but disband the grant."

Community transport manager Bev Leworthy told the Gazette the group was disappointed with the withdrawal of Yate's grant especially as it had not been informed of the decision by the council.

"As an organisation we are very disappointed with their decision," she said. "The lack of grant is totally unfair and unwarranted, nevertheless it will not influence our efforts to anyone who uses our services, including a high proportion of those passengers who use us reside within the Yate parish."

She said the group was complying with all legal accounting requirements and was acting within its constitution.

"Councils are fully aware that they can have representation at all of our management committee meetings provided they are funders of the organisation," she added. "We are aware of the council’s complaints and have done everything possible to resolve them."

Audited accounts will be available at the group's annual meeting on Thursday, June 7 (2pm) at the Old Grammar School, Chipping Sodbury.

The travel group, based on North Road in Yate, receives £350,000 annually from South Gloucestershire Council as well as grants from other parish councils.