CHANGES to autism grants could cause families in Gwent to miss out on vital support, a leading autism charity has warned.

As of April 1, grants allocated specifically for people with autism were removed, with the money going into a general pot, known as the Revenue Support Grant (RSG) – which local authorities can spend on any area.

In 2008 the Welsh Government introduced an autism strategy where £40,000 was allocated to each local authority in Wales to spend on services and support for people with autism. In December 2014, the Welsh Government passed a budget deciding to remove the Autistic Spectrum Disorder infrastructure grant.

Meleri Thomas, external affairs manager for the National Autistic Society Cymru, said: “While local authorities should still be spending money on autism support, this news is quite a worry for us.

“The Welsh Government base this grant on population size, so cities like Newport and Cardiff will get more. Smaller councils like Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent and Monmouthshire may lose out.”

“It really is a worry that this ring-fenced grant is being removed as councils themselves don’t know whether they have budgeted.”

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “The Autistic Spectrum Disorder infrastructure grant is transferring into the local authority revenue settlement from 2015-16. This is consistent with the principles agreed between the Local Government Association and the Welsh Government that specific grants should transfer into the settlement at the earliest opportunity. It will also give local authorities the surety that this funding is available year on year.

"The Minister for Health and Social Services has written to local authorities encouraging them to consider the benefits the infrastructure grant has brought to their area and how it will support the delivery of the duties under the Social Services and Well-being Act (Wales) coming into force in 2016. For 2015-16 officials will track the money and how it has been spent.”

Blaenau Gwent AM, Alun Davies, is a patron for the Blaenau Gwent autism branch. He said: “I have discussed the issue of the autism grant with the local authority in Blaenau Gwent and I am assured that it will not be lost in the borough but will be used to help provide support for families in Blaenau Gwent.”

Chair of the Newport Autism Group, Hilary Leadbeater, said: “Despite not receiving the autism grant, Newport City Council have decided to keep funding our projects. We never know year on year whether the grant will disappear but the council have been fantastic in helping us fund our projects.”

The Newport Autism Group were bucket collecting outside Risca Tesco on April 1 and April 2, raising money for further projects as part of World Autism Awareness week. In Blaenau Gwent, The Bethesda Chapel, in Brywmawr, held a coffee morning on March 27 while The Market Hall Cinema held an autism-friendly screening of Cinderella on March 31.