One of the last remaining Wycombe charities aimed at helping troubled youngsters is under threat after haemorrhaging more than £70,000 in one year – and being denied a vital cash boost by the council.

Wycombe District Council refused a request for a £10,000 grant from Wycombe Youth Action last week, with a leading politician saying she thought the town centre-based charity had “already disintegrated”.

Following the closure of charities Skidz and Out of the Dark there are fears over the damage which could be caused if the charity - which does behind-the-scenes work with gang members, and children who are out of education, employment or training - is forced to close.

WYA chairman Mark Harris admits there are still challenging times ahead following an overspend of £71,132 in the last financial year – with their annual income falling by more than £77,000.

Mr Harris – who is also a district councillor for Greater Marlow – said: “Wycombe Youth Action has gone through a wide range of trials and tribulations and some of those have been financial.

“We have had things that haven’t really been done as they should be, some things that have gone wrong and sometimes every now and then you just have to bite the bullet and spend some money.

“There are concerns over the future of Wycombe Youth Action, but it is getting better.

“If the deficit had continued at that rate, we would already be out of business.

“And, as you know, the charity Out of the Dark is no longer around, the charity Skidz is no longer around, and we were determined as trustees to do anything we can to make sure we’re not number three.”

Bucks Free Press:

Skidz, a former Wycombe charity, was forced to close last year.

The charity, which was awarded a £5,000 grant from WDC last year, applied for £10,000 for 2016/17 but was declined by the cabinet member for community, Cllr Julia Adey.

Speaking to the Bucks Free Press, she said: “Wycombe Youth Action, as far as we knew, is disappearing. I don’t have the full story on that, but that is what I’ve heard.

“If they’re pulling themselves out then that is fantastic. These are the grants for this year, but we can always look to see if we can help in other ways.”

Mr Harris has now echoed calls from Cllr Adey for more talks between the council and charity, adding that he was “disappointed” she had not been better informed.

A big drop in income, as well as money being spent on a rebranding, were two of the reasons behind the huge deficit for 2014/15, with trustees forced to use funds from reserve accounts.

From April to November last year, WYA operated at only a £5,000 deficit, but Mr Harris is hopeful that other community grants which they have applied for will be successful and more donations could be made.

He added: “Wycombe Youth Action is alive and reasonably well and it hopes and expects to be for the foreseeable future.

“We are still losing money, but the rate we are losing money is massively, massively less.”

For more information about the charity, visit wycombeyouthaction.co.uk