VOLUNTEERS at Oxford’s community centres could walk away from their posts in a row over funding, we can reveal.

From next month, Oxford City Council will no longer cover the cost of business rates for 22 centres.

The council has insisted the move was necessary in order to save an estimated £25,000.

But community representatives have warned the measure could sound the death knell for centres already struggling with spiralling bills.

On Thursday, representatives of the city’s community associations — which are responsible for the room hire and administration of council-owned community centres — will meet to decide on collective action.

Bill Baker, the chairman of Oxford Federation of Community Associations, said the group members might decide to hand the keys of the community centres back to the council as a protest.

He said: “A lot of people are extremely angry about it. It is very difficult to find the extra money.

“The cost of heating and lighting is going up, so this is just another nail in the coffin of community centres.”

Oxford’s community associations escape paying 80 per cent of business rates, which are based on the rateable value of the building, because they are registered charities.

In the past, the council has paid the remaining 20 per cent, but the need to cut £5.6m from the next financial year’s £28m budget has forced it to reconsider the grant.

Ray Clare, treasurer and secretary of Wood Farm Community Centre, said his association would need to find an extra £450 a year – two per cent of its budget.

He said: “Most of the community centres are disgusted about having to pay the rates.

“The money is peanuts to the council.”

Sue Holden, the secretary of Barton Community Association, said: “A lot of associations depend so heavily on volunteers and this is just another burden on them. They will walk away if they don’t want the stress or the hassle.”

Antonia Bance, the council’s executive member for social inclusion, insisted there was a need to make budget cuts and said: “We have had to make some really very difficult decisions and this is one of them.”

She said the council continued to provide grants to community associations for events, and added: “There are lot of things that we would like to do, but we are not able to do. One of those things is to give more support to the community centres.”

Ms Bance said she had written to Mr Baker and would be happy to meet community association officials to explain the council’s reasoning.

Of the 22 centres affected, the city council owns the buildings used by 18 of them and manages Wood Farm Community Centre’s base on behalf of the county council.