At the end of this month New Deal funding will end for ten more projects. However, the Childcare Consortium received a reprieve at February’s Partnership Board meeting.
The board decided to extend funding for 12–24 months until the Council’s Early Years service can take over funding for local facilities at Ellesmere Children’s Centre and Black Women’s Resource Centre. They also agreed to develop a scheme of vouchers to be issued directly to parents to buy childcare places from these groups.
Other projects have not been so lucky. Pleas from the Education Theme Group for New Deal to think again about decisions not to fund projects such as Cellar Space Project, Catch the Drift and the Community Language Schools have fallen on deaf ears. John Clark stated at the consultation event in February: “If New Deal takes this request on other projects could not be funded.”
The funding from New Deal will come to an end for the following projects at the end of March: Burngreave Domestic Abuse Project, Burngreave Language Support Agency, Cellar Space, Community Language Schools, Pitsmoor Credit Union, Yemeni Community Association Capacity Building, Catch the Drift, Safer Homes and Women’s Health Screening.
Burngreave Community Action Trust will also run out of money at the end of March. Despite getting a green light from New Deal, they have been told they will not be funded at current levels. Redundancy notices have been sent to ten members of staff.