The Isle of Wight Hunt has been given a COVID grant of £10,000.
The Government scheme pays out via local councils, through the Small Business Scheme. The Isle of Wight Council said the hunt qualified for the money under the scheme's guidelines. But the local authority added it wouldn't comment on 'individual grant payments'.
The Isle of Wight Council said in a statement:
"The Isle of Wight Council is required by government to issue the Small Business Scheme grant payments to those businesses which are eligible and qualify under the scheme guidelines.
"The scheme guidelines are set by government and this particular scheme is not a discretionary scheme. The council cannot comment on individual grant payments."
Under government rules, any business that occupies a property and receives small business rate relief, or rural rate relief, is eligible for a small business grant for coronavirus.
The payout to the Isle of Wight Foxhounds has been slammed by the Keep The Ban group.
Robert Pownall, from the group, told Isle of Wight Radio that he sent out more than 300 Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to council's across the country to find out if they were paying out.
He said:
"Around £180,000 has been paid out to support hunts across the country - including £10,000 by the Isle of Wight Council.
"This is all from the Government's COVID small business grant which is supposed to support businesses which have been struggling due to the pandemic. I don't think taxpayers' money should be used for this type of thing - something which kills wildlife.
"I'm sure a lot of the hunts will make the claim that they are businesses and they are entitled to it, but there hunts across the country which are continuing to flout the law - including the Isle of Wight, which has been involved in a couple of incidents in recent years."
It is illegal to hunt foxes with a pack of dogs, under UK Law, but hunts can use dogs to simulate hunting.
A report in The Independent said around 180 local authorities in the country had not given any funding to hunts, but seven - including the Isle of Wight Council - had done so.
Isle of Wight Radio has asked the Isle of Wight Hunt for a comment.
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