A community group which handles repairs and improvements for council tenants and leaseholders in Oxford is worried its funding is about to be cut.

The Cowley Forum, set up last year as one of nine groups representing people living in council property, is worried that the city council wants to cancel its £10,000-a-year grant.

Spokesman Anita Fisher challenged councillors at Oxford City Council's Cowley area committee.

She said: "We are a very successful group with about 15 members, but are we going to get our money?"

Her colleague Rick Stephenson warned councillors that there would be no substitute for the forum if funding was cut, as the group would not have time to tackle the range of small projects routinely under- taken.

He said: "There's no way you could do it. We do things like fences and bollards. We don't do the type of things you do although we appreciate your work."

Mr Stephenson said £10,000 was not a big annual budget.

He said area forums could act quickly in emergencies to help individuals.

Dan Paskins, Lye Valley ward councillor, said he supported the forum and would lobby for the group to keep receiving money.

Area committee chairman Bryan Keen said the council was carrying out a policy review that would ultimately decide the forum's fate.

Mr Keen complimented the forum for tackling a wide range of work which council departments often failed to sort out.

He told Mr Stephenson: "You raise all the things that don't get done -- and there are not many things that do get done."

He agreed to pass on the group's concerns to the executive member for housing, Val Smith.