A PLAN to restore funding to Homeless Action and other housing charities has been rejected by city councillors, despite protests from the public.

Homeless Action, along with five other charities, is to lose out from June after MBI, Conservative and some Labour councillors voted to cut funding at last month's budget meeting.

And a proposal by at Wednesday's stormy housing committee meeting to ask the finance committee to use any extra cash savings found this year to fund the charities was voted out.

It swung on the vote of Labour's Cllr John Harrison, who joined MBI and Conservative councillors to reject the proposal. Fellow Labour councillor Charles Grattan left the meeting before the vote after speaking in support of the charities, while independent socialist Brian Penney was not in attendance.

The debate ended with eight votes on each side, meaning the casting vote went to the chairman of the committee, MBI Cllr Carol Broad.

Margaret Douglas, manager of Homeless Action, said: "A lot of councillors are basing their views on misinformation. I want to invite them to meet with us and find out what we do here.

"We are not giving up. We will continue with our campaign. We have got the same level of funding for the next three months."

Last year, Homeless Action and five other charities split a budget of £76,000. This year, with the closure of the women's refuge, that budget is down to £36,000.

The five remaining groups will be funded in full until June, after which they will share just £5,000.

Around 100 supporters had packed Lancaster's Homeless Action centre on Monday night to oppose the decision.

The meeting was chaired by city MP Hilton Dawson, who said: "I think those councillors who voted against trying to find the extra money are misguided, and over the next few weeks we will build a campaign to show all councillors the value of the Homeless Action service."

Mr Dawson also pointed out that under new Government legislation likely to become law later this year, Local Authority's will have more responsibility for homeless people.

MBI Cllr Mark Turner attacked members of his own party, saying: "I would like to distance myself remarks about riffraff and scum. Had I been at the budget meeting, I would not have voted for these cuts."

Labour's deputy leader, Cllr Ian Barker, said: "Some of my colleagues were swayed by the by the very emotional comments of one of my colleagues. That person said things I never wanted to hear from a Labour councillor."

Green housing spokesperson, Cllr Gina Dowding, called on supporters to lobby councillors from parties which voted to cut the funding in the run up to the general election. Lib Dem group leader, Cllr Pat Quinton, also spoke on her experiences of working with Homeless Action's Christmas shelter.