SOUTHCREST and central residents have rejected a request from the Redditch Pakistani Community Forum for £500.

The forum wanted the cash from the neighbourhood group budget for two office chairs, stationery, two ink cartridges and a photocopier maintenance contract.

At last week's neighbourhood meeting, resident and former councillor Steve Wheeler said: "Organisations like the forum already have access to a certain amount of funding and I really don't think these are the sort of items which should be funded by the group budget."

Council cultural and development director Paul Patten suggested it may be more appropriate if the forum applied for the money from small grants given out by the council.

There were no other requests from the neighbourhood budget so £700 will be carried forward to the next meeting.