A charity that has served Tooting and Balham for more than two decades is at risk of not having its contract with the council renewed.

Mushkil Aasaan was established in 1993 as a way to address the "unmet needs" of the wider Asian communities in the area.

Wandsworth Council is currently involved in a procurement exercise to commission homecare services when the existing arrangements expire in June 2019.

But Mushkil's founder and manager Naseem Aboobaker is concerned that the charity may no longer be able to serve the community should its services not be picked up by the council.

"Mushkil Aasaan has decades of experience and particular expertise with the Asian community in Tooting," she said.

"I fear that without this service we risk estranging and disadvantaging our most vulnerable family, friends and neighbours."

A council spokesman said it can not go into detail about the issue until after a decision has been made.

“We are aware that one local group that bid for the contract has been sharing information about this live procurement exercise," he said.

"Until the final decision is reached the council is not legally permitted to comment in detail on these matters but whatever the outcome we are sure this group will continue to thrive and

continue to win contracts and support vulnerable people not just in Wandsworth but also in the other boroughs where they operate."

Councillor and secretary of Mushkil Action Paul White said it would be a great loss to the community should the service not be able to run any more.

"With the many cultures in such an ethically diverse borough, especially in Tooting, the council has failed to recognise the impact such a decision will have, after relationships Mushkil Aasaan has built up over the years and the need for a service that can be flexible, responsive and go the extra mile to support families in culturally important ways when delivering home care in a borough like Wandsworth," he said.

"This decision will strike at the heart of a diverse Tooting and is a great worry to some of the most vulnerable people in Wandsworth."

But regardless of the outcome, the council spokesman said they are confident the charity will survive.

"They will also be able to continue to offer their services to their existing clients, and new ones too, via the 'direct payments' system which gives people the choice of who provides their home care," he said.

“We are sure too that given their substantial assets of around £6.5m, which includes some £2.5m in cash at the bank, that the group is very well placed to continue its activities and build on its already very successful and profitable business model.”

A public meeting will be held at Mushkil Aasaan on December 3, two days before a final decision is expected to be made.

The group also said that a protest is being arranged for December 5 outside the Town Hall.