HAVO tries to battle on despite loss of grant
Monday, 25th January 2010.
The battle to save the Haverhill Association of Voluntary Organisations (HAVO) is continuing, despite a probable council decision to axe its grant.
St Edmundsbury Council's cabinet made the recommendation at its meeting last week in spite of a last-minute appeal from HAVO to reconsider.
HAVO received a 'mystery' donation last week of £6,000, which has now been revealed to come from one of Haverhill's Suffolk county councillors, Phillip French.
Cllr French gained special dispensation from the council to allocate his locality budget to keep the organisation going.
But HAVO chairman Mick Smith said this still meant they would have to seek cheaper office accommodation.
They currently occupy an office in the former St Edmundsbury council offices in Lower Downs Slade, at a rent of £5,000 a year, which the council had been giving them as part of its £9,000 grant.
St Edmundsbury's cabinet decided not to continue with this grant after HAVO lost other funding streams, and cleared the way for possibly winding up the organisation if they could nbot replace them.
St Edmundsbury lost confidence that HAVO could remain sustainable in the long-term and decided to withdraw its grant as well.
The other £4,000 of HAVO's grant is to be reduced to £3,000 and given to any other voluntary organisation prepared to take over HAVO's work.
Mr Smith admitted he was not confident of finding alternative cheaper office accommodation because it was not common in Haverhill, but said the fight to keep the organisation would go on.
St Edmundsbury's cabinet has agreed a range of other grants to organisations within the town.
The cabinet's recommendations await confirmation by the full council on February 23.
St Edmundsbury Council's cabinet made the recommendation at its meeting last week in spite of a last-minute appeal from HAVO to reconsider.
HAVO received a 'mystery' donation last week of £6,000, which has now been revealed to come from one of Haverhill's Suffolk county councillors, Phillip French.
Cllr French gained special dispensation from the council to allocate his locality budget to keep the organisation going.
But HAVO chairman Mick Smith said this still meant they would have to seek cheaper office accommodation.
They currently occupy an office in the former St Edmundsbury council offices in Lower Downs Slade, at a rent of £5,000 a year, which the council had been giving them as part of its £9,000 grant.
St Edmundsbury's cabinet decided not to continue with this grant after HAVO lost other funding streams, and cleared the way for possibly winding up the organisation if they could nbot replace them.
St Edmundsbury lost confidence that HAVO could remain sustainable in the long-term and decided to withdraw its grant as well.
The other £4,000 of HAVO's grant is to be reduced to £3,000 and given to any other voluntary organisation prepared to take over HAVO's work.
Mr Smith admitted he was not confident of finding alternative cheaper office accommodation because it was not common in Haverhill, but said the fight to keep the organisation would go on.
St Edmundsbury's cabinet has agreed a range of other grants to organisations within the town.
The cabinet's recommendations await confirmation by the full council on February 23.
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