Agenda item

A Member asked if the City Bridge Trust should support the approach of some local authorities in adopting a plan against segregation between community groups, noting that the London Borough of Newham were no longer awarding funding to bodies that target or comprise single ethnic or religious groups.

The Chief Grants Officer and Director of City Bridge Trust responded that some communities were particularly marginalised, and the City Bridge Trust wanted to encourage confidence in those communities. Whilst it was not a stipulation, the assessment process was vigilant in preventing ‘silo’ working. Grant funding was used to encourage integration and a lot of work had been done to support integration projects. It was important to be sensitive to the needs of community groups and build bridges between them simultaneously.

The Chairman added that applications had been rejected on these grounds in the past after relevant concerns had been raised. The Committee noted that the application for Help Somalia Foundation considered earlier included integration amongst its stated objectives.