[WiLT] End of community empowerment fund?

[WiL Admin]

End of community empowerment fund?
Ministers have resisted pressure from the voluntary sector to
reinstate a dedicated funding stream for community empowerment and
participation, it emerged this week.

DCLG officials have told civil servants working with voluntary sector
umbrella bodies there are no plans to resurrect the single community
programme, despite two separate pledges from local government minister
Phil Woolas to consider reviving the scheme.

The programme, which funded the work of community empowerment
networks, brought together the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit's three
participation programmes - the community chests, community learning
chests and the community empowerment programme. The stream was wound
up in March 2006 when responsibility for funding community development
transferred to the safer and stronger communities fund.

Mr Woolas revealed the government's intention to re-examine the case
at a DCLG event in June and repeated his commitment last month.

But a DCLG spokesperson this week told New Start the single community
programme 'has now ended' because the government was reducing the
number of ring-fenced grants to local authorities. She confirmed that
money for community empowerment remained part of the safer and
stronger communities fund, but did not rule out the development of an
alternative programme. She said the voluntary and community sector's
need for sustainable funding would be considered in the 2007 spending
review.

Urban Forum chief executive Toby Blume said he hoped an alternative
scheme to fund community empowerment would be developed. 'They cannot
promise to ring-fence money, but we hope that they will release some
dedicated resources for community capacity building,' he said.

The news comes as voluntary sector representatives in London warned
that vital services could be under threat if a proposal to cut £9m
from a London grants scheme goes ahead.

An emergency meeting of 150 voluntary and community organisations held
this week heard that some councillors are calling for a 33% cut to the
Association of London Government's grants scheme.

It is proposed that this money would be 'repatriated' to London
boroughs, but the Voluntary Sector Forum warned that this could be a
hollow promise because resources were unlikely to be ring-fenced.

The ALG is expected to make its decision in September, with ALG
leaders making a final decision in November.

>From New Start - http://www.newstartmag.co.uk/news996.html

Posted on WiLT blog at
http://www.freecharity.org.uk/~womeninlondon/?p=117