Funding bombshell for Gloucester community groups
THREE ethnic minority groups in Gloucester could fold within a month after being hit with a financial bombshell.
Gloucester City Council has withdrawn £30,000 of combined funding from Linking Communities, The Gloucestershire African and Caribbean Association Limited (ACA) and The Gloucestershire Ethnic Minority Business Association Limited (GEMBA), with immediate effect.
It says the groups failed to meet deadlines for handing in important information.
Howard Francis, chairman of the ACA and Linking Communities, said it could spell the end for the organisations
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"All the groups could cease to operate at the end of December, there is no money to fall back on."
Linking Communities, which has been going for 12 years, will lose £14,000, ACA, based in Barton Street, will lose £12,000 and Sinope Street based GEMBA will lose £4,700. A council spokesman said the ring-fence community grants were awarded based on criteria which included providing specified information to the council.
He said the original deadline was May but it was extended after all three failed to provide the information in enough detail.
He added: "Despite the council's best efforts the information was not forthcoming and notice was given to each of them that funding would be stopped."
For the full story see Friday's Citizen
Comments
by Gloucestershire Association for Voluntary and Community Action
Friday, December 14 2012, 4:17PM
“As an organisation that supports voluntary and community groups in Gloucester we can see that many groups, not just those working in ethnic minority communities, are facing increasing pressures from greater demand for their services at the same time as cuts in their income. However the City Council has a responsibility to ensure it knows how its grant money has been used.
We have been working with the City Council to look at ways of reducing the monitoring burden on groups without losing accountability and transparency to the tax payer.
GAVCA (http://tinyurl.com/cl8fr9y) is here to help groups with all aspects of planning, delivering and reporting on their activities and we would urge them to contact us for advice before they reach crisis point.”
by FreeRadical1
Thursday, December 06 2012, 4:42PM
“Agree with Ysedra. Also, I believe that ethnic minorities should integrate. They shouldn't expect the local taxpayer to keep forking out money so that they can have their own exclusive little clubs.”
by Ysedra
Thursday, December 06 2012, 4:27PM
“'Third sector' orgs in Gloucester have same attitude to deadlines as Douglas Adams did. This isn't even the least bit surprising. Linking Communities' website is about five years out of date. When did they last hold an AGM?”