News Talking newspaper faces funds crisis
A group which provides 'talking newspapers' for the blind says itis facing a bleak future unless it can secure vital extra funds.
The Goole and District Talking Newspapers Association has had its bid for extra council funding rejected.
The group had applied for £1,366 to cover rent costs for its studio and office at The Courtyard, where it records newspaper stories for the blind.
It means the group, which pays rent to the town council to hire a room at the Boothferry Road centre, will find it hard to find a new controller, who plays a vital role as head of a team of readers.
The group this week acknowledged that the council had no choice but to withdraw funding, but said the decision was a "massive blow" because they were already short of volunteers.
Group secretary Dave Caldicott said: "If we got just a part of the funding it would help. We're relying on bits of donations and grants from groups such as the Rotary Club, which have helped us in the past, so this makes it difficult for us."
Talking Newspapers, which has a pool of 50 readers, makes home deliveries of tapes which relay stories that have appeared in the Goole Times.
But the group has been reduced from three to two teams because of a lack of volunteers who are IT-savvy, meaning that, instead of delivering tapes with one week's news, it has to produce two weeks' worth of news on one tape.
On top of this, the group has to pay £1,400 a year for use of the studio and equipment storage at The Courtyard.
"All we are really asking for is that they (the town council) let us off with a bit of the rent which we are paying into their coffers," said Mr Caldicott.
Newspapers for the Blind was funded by the council for eight years between 1996 and 2004.
But a change of policy, which has been in place for a number of years, means the council can only provide capital grants to volunteer groups and cannot cover revenue costs.
A council spokesman said the decision was made some years ago after a working party was set up to look into grant-aid policy.
He added: "The recommendation by the working party was that we wouldn't support day-to-day running costs.
"The Newspapers for the Blind group applied for something we don't fund."
Meanwhile, funding bids from four more of Goole's best-known community groups have also been put on hold.
The Goole & District Coalition of Physical Disabilities, Goole & District Community Transport Group, The Green Team and The Hinge, all put in bids for renewed funding for the new financial year.
But, at a meeting of Goole Town Council's Policy and Resources Committee on Monday, councillors voted to delay a decision on the amounts that were to be handed out to each organisation.
New Service Level Agreements for 2008/09 need to be determined for each group for the next three years.
The decision to delay was to allow time for a sub-committee to be set up to look into levels of grant aid. A meeting will be held after the council's annual general meeting in May.
The Goole & District Coalition of Physical Disabilities - a support service for people with disabilities or sensory impairments - has applied for £5,000 over the next three years.
The Goole & District Community Transport Group - which provides free transport to people with no cars of their own - has also applied for £5,000.
The Green Team, which provides gardening services for the local elderly, has applied for £5,000 and The Hinge Centre - which provide skills and independent-living training to young people - has bid for £4,200 over a three-year period.
The Carlisle Street centre, which had severe financial problems last year, has pulled itself bank from the brink in recent months but it will be desperate to win extra funds.
The council did agree to council officers' recommendations to give a combined £8,795 worth of grant aid to other community groups.
They include the 1st Goole Scout Group, the Boothferry Family & Local History Group, Bumps & Babies, Dads' Club Goole, Goole & District Mariners' Association, the local National Osteoporosis Society, the Goole Air Training Corps, Goole Community Group, the Gole Detachment Army Cadet Force, the Royal British Legion, The Sobriety Project, St John Ambulance and Goole Solo Club.
Sports clubs in line for funding include AFC Goods Office, Cobra Archers, Goole & Thorne U-17S FC, Goole Mountaineering Club, and Goole Town Girls FC, which will get £500.
Published on 24th April 2008 in News.
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