THURROCK Council has held face to face meetings with anti-racism organisation TRUST after concerns whether the taxpayer was getting value for money.
Thurrock Council gives the group over £70,000 pounds a year in grants but YT understands that portfolio holder, cllr Lynn Worrall in her meeting with chair Baldev Gill is looking for more outcomes from the group.
According to their last set of published set of accounts, the organisation’s income is around £230k but a large portion of that appears to be eaten up in salaries.
Concerns were raised by councillors (who are also board members) regarding the phone bill for the organisation that, again, according to the accounts, nearly topped £10,000.
Board member, cllr Yash Gupta told YT that he had raised concerns and was assured that the phone bill would be much reduced.
The bill towers over other organisations such as Citizens Advice, who, according to sources, have over twenty phone lines, make over 20,000 calls a year and yet have a phone bill at just over £5,000.
Over the years, the group, based in a small office in the Thameside (for which it pays £30 per week) has been very adept at winning bids.
£60,000 from the PCT for the Reason Project to work with mental health cases.
£50,000 from the Big Lottery Fund.
£16,000 from the Tudor Trust.
£11,000 from the council to employ a housing officer.
But salaries are high. With last years bill for the nine members of staff just under £190,000. The accounts state that no member of staff was paid more than £60,000.
A Thurrock Council spokesperson said: “Cllr Worrall and officers met with the chair and vice chair of TRUST, looking at the work it does and detailing some concerns that have been raised in recent weeks as well as the importance of having an independent organisation to champion issues and promote diversity.
“The council regularly monitors the work and value for money of all the organisations with which is has grant funding agreements and that includes TRUST.
“This was also made clear and the board members agreed some changes.
As most people have said all along, jobs for the brothers and sisters. Check the phone calls and see where they are made to, mostly international I reckon. This isn’t an anti racist group, it’s a racist group taking taxpayers money to push their own agenda. Absolutely disgusting.
I am always sceptical of such organisations. I don’t mind if they are privately funded but I do not like the fact that many of these groups are funded by the taxpayer. I have not seen anything worthwhile that TRUST has done in the borough to warrant a 70k grant from the council. These groups also fail to understand that some people from ethnic minorities just do not want to mix and integrate into British society so they populate certain areas and re-create a UK version of their place of origin. A very sad but very true fact. You can see the wheels in motion in Thurrock already.
Just check out their membership page on their website http://www.thurrock-trust.org.uk/membership
“Becoming a member of TRUST is simple. Any Black and Ethnic Minority (BME) individual, community group or organisation who agrees with TRUST’s ethos can become a member. Membership is free and will enable you to receive our regular Newsletter and be informed of all local, regional and national BME events”
This just shows how much Racial Unity really means to this group, the funding by tax payers should be withdrawn from this group until such time that is is all inclusive and can provide confirmed evidence that they are actually assisting with the integration and racial unity in the borough.
If TRUST vanished into a black hole nobody would notice apart from the Telephone companies who appear to be making a fat taxpayer funded profit.
TRUST has received council funding for years and only now do they realise what a waste it has been and what little they receive in return.
Any council probe will be the usual white wash.
There won’t be any investigation as the Labour mayor is a member of the board of this group and his own group, Thurrock Asian Community I believe its called, received a grant from TRUST to fund a caretaker. This is a total sham and all it does is line the pockets of the people involved. The Labour party should be ashamed of their association with it as it is clear to everyone else that once again the majority british taxpayer is funding ethnic groups to sit on te ar*e all day doing nothing. Labour are very fond of this little number.