A CRUCIAL support system for voluntary groups across the borough is facing closure if it does not secure �60,000.

Bracknell Forest Voluntary Action (BFVA) has worked with hundreds of groups, charities and communities for many years, issuing advice on funding, delivering training and providing a voice for those groups.

But due to losing out on various contracts last year, the group's chief executive Martin Gilman has said it does not have the funds it needs to continue and BFVA could be the next casualty of the recession.

It has asked for an extra �60,000 - on top of the �141,000 annual grant it already receives from Bracknell Forest Council - and has said without the additional cash, it will be forced to shut up shop at the end of this financial year.

Executive committee members agreed proposals set out in the revenue budget today, but finance chief Cllr Alan Ward requested that further discussions happen with BFVA about how it is run, as well as the extra �60,000.

A final decision on whether the grant is approved will be made at the full council meeting next Wednesday, February 27.