Cash boost for voluntary sector

Published 11 Jan 2012 17:45 2 Comments

READING'S voluntary sector is set to benefit from a £12.6m funding boost.

The Reading Borough Council pot for the coming financial year has been increased by more than £40,000 from the money given out in grants, contracts and help in kind this year. The handouts are due to be agreed by the cabinet on Monday - ahead of the council approving its 2012-13 budget next month.

Public engagement and health leader, Cllr Bet Tickner, said: "Once again Reading is supporting the vital work of the voluntary sector at a time when families, the elderly, disabled and young people are all going through hard times. Continuing to work in partnership will be our way forward."

The funding pot includes £10.8m of contracts, with £158,000 for Barnardo's to offer family support, £75,000 for Connexions' youth counselling service and £63,628 for Reading Crossroads to help with respite care.

Some of the contract cash is still to be allocated and will be open to bids, including £80,000 for preventative support services for the elderly and £127,650 to provide short breaks for disabled children and their carers.

The £1.5m of grants includes £389,650 for ReadiBus, £200,850 for Reading Voluntary Action, £163,845 for Reading and District Citizens Advice Bureau and £149,000 for Reading Community Welfare Rights.

Reading Council for Racial Equality, which controversially had its funding axed by the previous Tory-Lib Dem administration, and black and ethnic community group, Sakoma, are getting £30,000 to bring forward plans to merge and form a new, wider-reaching equality group, in the summer.

There is also £74,000 up for grabs for Olympic-related projects and events and £25,000 for neighbourhood and grassroots activities, while £382,049 is being provided to groups in the form of low cost accomodation, including Reading Swimming Club, Whitley Wood Community Centre and Africa and Caribbean Community Group.

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• 

  razia iqbal
  Unregistered User
  Jan 11, 19:45
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  I cannot stand these racial equality groups - their funding should be scrapped altogether. They have encouraged the brandishing of the race card as the easy option for those ethnic minority groups who don't get what they want. This has resulted in many white people taking the soft approach against ethnic minorities for fear of being branded a racist.
  
  As an Asian woman who has made the effort to integrate with other ethnic groups, I haven't encountered any discrimination or racism in either my personal or professional life. Some people just need to break away from their close-minded "native" groups and start experiencing other cultures. I feel the racist tag is, more often than not, unnecessarily fired from the mouths of ethnic minority groups towards white people and I can't help feeling that these racial equality groups have spurned it.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 16     No 1

• 

  Weird Science
  Unregistered User
  Jan 11, 23:00
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  I personally find the RCRE quite offensive which is ironic considering their message of equality. One need only look at the front page of their website and the inherent venom in the spiel which isn't far off military propaganda. They seem to want to create a racial tension which as Razia notes above isn't really that prevalent in the Reading area. Of course I am not naive enough to say racism is non-existent but there is a danger in exaggerating a problem to the point said exaggeration becomes the problem. I doubt many of us need reminding of the climate of fear the last government propagated after 9/11 and the distrust of the Muslim community that created. Judging by the rant on the RCRE front-page they too seem intent on creating an us and them scenario which is quite worrying. If memory serves (and articles from another local paper) the reality of the situation is the RCRE had their budget cut previously as there seemed more money going into salaries than actual results. Perhaps I'm being a tad cynical but it would appear the RCRE when faced with an imminent demise are trying to save their jobs by creating issues where there are none. And during times of such economic woes surely this money would be better spent elsewhere rather than propping up desperate men chasing ghosts...
  
  Recommend?   Yes 12     No 0

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