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Gloucester City Council has withdrawn £30,000 of combined funding from Linking Communities, The Gloucestershire African and Caribbean Association Limited (ACA) and The Gloucestershire Ethnic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
"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