WEYMOUTH and Portland Borough Council managed to pull in grants worth over £600,000 in the last financial year.

A review by the authority has revealed a grants totalling of £612,899 were awarded in the borough with the the majority of funds used directly by the council to deliver services and invest in infrastructure.

Of the total, £181,386 was also awarded directly to a range of community groups and organisations across the borough.

The figures come after the council’s scrutiny and performances committee considered the growing importance of securing external funding to improve the quality of life for people across Weymouth and Portland.

The council’s spokesman for finance and assets Cllr Colin Huckle said: “We have been working hard to win grant funding for the good of people in our borough.

“Most of this money is ring fenced, which means the funder requires us to spend it in a certain way. “These grants are becoming more and more important as with inflation, rising costs and funding reductions we are expected to have around £9 million less each year in 2020 than we had a decade ago.

“We have to do all we can in the future to attract more grants and funding to improve life for residents in Weymouth and Portland.” The largest grant awarded to the borough council was £300,000 from the Environment Agency for the sea wall repairs at Chiswell.

It also received a Homelessness Prevention Grant of £141,158 from the Department of Communities and Local Government.