Councils have been told to rethink plans to move away from single group funding after a west London community organisation won a High Court battle against funding cuts.

Ealing Council last week conceded defeat and withdrew from the case after it was found to have failed to have proper regard for equality legislation when making a decision to cut the entire funding of Southall Black Sisters (SBS), an organisation working to tackle domestic violence against black and ethnic minority women (New Start, 7 March).

The council planned instead to use the funding to provide a generic domestic violence service but was charged with failure to carry out a full and proper equality impact assessment.

It was also found to have misinterpreted the cohesion agenda by assuming that single group funding undermined cohesion. The presiding judge concluded it promoted equality and thereby cohesion.

Lord Justice Moses said local authorities must adhere to the Race Relations Act, which meant undertaking proper equality impact assessments at the formative stage of the decision-making process.

He said councils could not hide behind cohesion arguments to cut specialist services and ruled that those run for and by BME groups were not contrary to the act.

SBS founder Pragna Patel said: ‘This victory is important for all grass roots specialist organisations that are faced with or likely to face cuts in their funding on the spurious grounds of “cohesion” and “equality”.

Ealing Council has tried to portray us as an organisation opposed to the need for all women in the borough to have a domestic violence service. This is far from the reality.’

Kevin Curley, chief executive of National Association for Voluntary and Community Action, also welcomed the decision: ‘As well as being the best way to provide vital services, single group funding reduces segregation as it gives BME organisations the confident organisational base that enables them to look outwards and contribute more to civil society.

‘I hope that other local authorities will take note of this case and think twice before doing anything that may undermine the principle of single group funding.’

Voice 4 Change England described the decision as ‘a victory for commonsense’.

by Rosie Niven
rosie@newstartmag.co.uk