A WORD of warning was issued as councillors agreed a transfer of funds that increased its grants budget by £12,000.

Andover town council approved a motion at Friday’s meeting to modify its grants system.

The authority will now be able to offer £15,000 worth of grants to community causes, to be made available in two £7,500 tranches in July and January.

However, 80 per cent of that figure was moved from a pot of money that had been set aside for the future purchase of a new office building.

It means nearly £14,000 was taken from the New Building Fund in Friday’s meeting alone.

Councillor Fitchet did not oppose the motion to modify the grants system, but he did issue a cautionary word over repeatedly borrowing from the New Building Fund.

He said: “I currently rent a flat. I can’t buy a house yet because I haven’t saved up enough money. If I had saved up the money and kept dipping into it to buy things, I wouldn’t be able to buy a house for a very long time.

“So my scepticism about the keeping on taking money out of the New Building Fund is all we’re doing is prolonging the time until we as a council can own a building, which will be a better return of income for the taxpayer.

Cllr Fitchet added that he is “minded to continue” his “stance against the virement of budgets” before abstaining from the vote on the motion.

In response, Cllr Richard Rowles pointed to having “saved potentially £15,000” in a previous meeting, whilst also noting that the planned Andover Lottery will bring in “substantially more than £15k”.

The money moved as part of the grants modification was not the instance of funds being taken from the New Building Fund during Friday’s meeting.

As well as the £12,000 added to the grants budget, £802 was moved for the community engagement event, £700 for the new Room Hire Fund and £400 for a new Publications Budget.

The town council’s grants budget, meanwhile, has increased to £15,000 having originally been set at £1,000.

After the full £1,000 was awarded to a single cause at the first meeting following the election in May, £3,000 was added after being moved from the Civic Regalia fund, with the £12,000 increase from Friday taking the current total to £15,000.