Funding awarded to Derry community groups under review
A review is to be carried out into the money allocated to community groups across Derry amidst concerns over the ‘transparency’ of the funding process.
The issue arose during a discussion on the Community Centre Fund and Strategic Service Level Agreements (SLA) for 2016/17 at a meeting of its Health and Community Committee on Thursday afternoon.
At the meeting, councillors were asked to approve an extension for a one-year period of its current Service Level Agreements.
These include four separate grants of £12,000 to ‘independent, community owned and managed centres’ in Eglinton, Claudy, Learmount and the local YMCA.
Four grants of £12,000 will also be allocated to ‘Joint Provision Centres’ in Ballymagroarty, Caw, Newbuildings and Long Tower.
In addition, Service Level Agreements will be made to Derry Healthy Cities of £10,000, Foyle Search and Rescue of £15,000, Derry Well Women and Derry Women's Centre.
The meeting was also told grants of £5,000 each will be paid to Multi Use Game Areas (MUGA) in Irish Street, The Fountain, Bishops Field, Ballymagroarty, Shantallow and Lettershandoney.
£12,000 will also be allocated to the 3G pitch at Leafair for the 2016/17 period.
However, at the meeting, the DUP’s Hilary McClintock said she was aware of difficulties being experienced by a women’s centre who had been trying to secure an SLA for six years.
She added there were ‘groups out there who felt hard done by’.
The SDLP’s Gus Hastings added there were groups out there who ‘didn’t have SLA’s’, while the independent councillor Paul Gallagher said the fact some groups had received £12,000 over an 18 year period ‘needs to be looked at’.
He added the Fountain Street community centre in Strabane should also be considered for funding.
Barry O’Hagan, Head of Leisure and Community Development with council, said the purpose of the report was to deal with what he described as ‘legacy commitments’ left over from the former Derry and Strabane councils, which was an extension for a one-year period of the Service Level Agreements.
He added given it was March, a lot of the centres were dependent on funding, and any reduction in funding could harm the running of the centres over the coming year.
Mr O’Hagan added if the Education Authority (EA) also reduced its funding to local groups, it would be a ‘double whammy’.
He added it was council’s intention to then undertake a review of its SLA’s.
Independent councillor Gary Donnelly asked if the council allocated funding to the Kildrum Community Centre in Creggan.
Mr O’Hagan said while there was no Service Level Agreement in place with the centre, council paid its running and maintenance costs, adding a community group managed the facility on council’s behalf.