Groups celebrating as council signals funding will continue
THREE voluntary groups which were originally told that Derby City Council was to stop their funding could now see it continued.
But the authority is still planning to end its grants for a further 15 groups.
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Yasmin Nazir, chief executive of Derby Women's Centre, which is having its funding cut. However, three other voluntary groups are set to continue to receive cash from Derby City Council.
The council decided in September last year that it would no longer contribute money to 19 community and arts groups in the city, following a round of applications for its reduced pot of funding.
But that decision depended on a consultation with users of the affected groups, which did not end until December.
Now, the results of that consultation have led council officers to recommend that three groups – Communication Unlimited, Relate Derby and Southern Derbyshire, and Sinfin and Stenson Fields Asians Over 60 Social and Welfare Club, should still receive some level of funding.
Relate Derby and Southern Derbyshire currently receives £13,261. Originally that was to be stopped but now the council plans to continue funding at £10,611 a year.
Centre manager Bev Miller said: "We are absolutely delighted and very appreciative to everyone who took part in the consultation."
Communication Unlimited, which provides subsidised British Sign Language interpretation for people, will have its £36,000 grant gradually phased out while it seeks other funding.
Sinfin and Stenson Fields Asians Over 60 Social and Welfare Club will continue to receive the full £2,020 it currently gets after the consultation showed there was evidence it made a difference by building integration.
But for others, including Derby Women's Centre and Derby Furniture Project, the recommendation is to axe their funding completely after three months' notice.
Derby Women's Centre said it relied on the £44,000 it gets from the council to provide services including pregnancy testing, training and support groups.
Chief executive Yasmin Nazir said: "I appreciate the council has to make cuts. However, I have to question the decision-making process. The consultation shows that the Women's Centre had the third-highest number of responses from service users and the second-highest level of support from the public."
Derby Furniture Project, which provides furniture to people in need, is closing due to the council's recommendation to end its £52,805 grant.
Consultation is still ongoing with Osmaston Family Project. A final decision will be made by cabinet members next Tuesday.
Comments
by DerbyFoE
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 10:10PM
“If the Derby Furniture Project is still getting three months money = see above - why have they been closed?????????????????????
How can the FP have the Sale day on the Saturday 4th February and give out leaflets for the next sale days in March and April, yet then be closed on Monday 6th Feb? PLus why, if they have only recently been moved there, is it now closing,
What is the point of the Localism Bill and the promised empowerment of communities , if such vital projects are to be closed.
Plus the associated loss of apprenticeships - The FP trained up two apprentices to repair and restore electrcial items, which were then sold on at low cost to people who were poor.
(NB 38,000 items were thus also diverted from incineration and landfill, with a massive carbon saving, and chiming with the Waste Prevention Programme.)
Are we to see the same crushing of the poor here in the UK, which is occuring in the US and this is just one part of the drive to make the poor poorer? (See last night's Panorama programme on Iplayer)
Derby and South Derbyshire Friends of the Earth
Can the DT do some investigating possibly”