Outcry over axed community grants programme
Community groups and trusts have reacted with surprise, concern and astonishment at the government’s decision to pull grants worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The apparent U-turn came after third sector minister, Angela Smith, announced she would be withdrawing grants already awarded to community groups as part of the Campaigning Research Programme.
The programme originally aimed to strengthen the ability of community groups and other third sector organisations to campaign for change and, over two years, was intended to identify and promote ways for the sector to act as a strong voice, specifically for the most disadvantaged in society.
The Community Alliance, which incorporates Bassac, Community Matters and the Development Trusts Association (DTA), had previously welcomed it as ‘a vital contribution to stimulating and strengthening grass-roots campaigning’.
Ms Smith announced on Friday that the programme had been withdrawn and the associated funding reallocated, leaving community groups and associations ‘devastated’, ‘astonished’ and ‘let down’.
Hastings Pier and White Rock Trust (HPWRT) was offered a grant last month in a bid to rescue and restore the pier as part of wider community regeneration efforts and had used the money to run a campaign fundraising gig, a 2,000-strong march to the town hall and a third-party campaign in a local by-election, to date.
HPWRT Trustee Lesley Davis said the group was ‘devastated’, while Bassac chief executive Ben Hughes said: ‘To withdraw this funding contradicts government’s own findings which identified campaigning as one of the five priorities for action.
‘At a time of economic uncertainty we do not want this move to pave the way for others to erode what is a key area of community sector work.’
Steve Wyler, director of the DTA, said: ‘To pull grants after the offer letters had been sent out, and with activities already underway, is astonishing,’ adding: ‘We certainly didn’t expect to be let down in this way.’
In an open letter to the minister, Kevin Curley, chief executive of the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action, called for Ms Smith to reconsider her decision to cancel the programme, saying: ‘You are our champion in government at central and local levels. You do that job really well.
‘However, this decision will be seen as bad grant-making practice and sets a poor example to politicians and grant-makers in local authorities and other agencies.’
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