Charitable trust could be shut down by council

Slough Borough Council declared itself effectively bankrupt in 2021

There are "no longer the resources" for a council to carry on giving grants to children’s leisure activities through one of its charitable trusts, a senior official has said.

The James Elliman Trust is among charities run by the council that could be shut down.

Strategic financial manager John Hickson told councillors his team were "looking at" closing the trust.

A spokesperson on behalf of the charity said it had "been effectively dormant for a number of years".

Mr Hickson was giving an update to a meeting of Slough Borough Council’s trustees committee – the group of councillors tasked with managing its trusts.

He said part of the reason they were looking at closing the trust "is the council no longer has the resources and time to work with that.”

The purpose of The James Elliman Trust is to "assist worthwhile causes" in the provision of facilities for Slough residents "for recreation, or any other leisure-time occupation", according to the council's website.

But there appears to be no public information on when it last issued a grant, and it is 184 days late in submitting its most recent accounts to the charity commission.

A spokesperson from the council on behalf of the charity said: "The James Elliman Trust has been effectively dormant for a number of years and no funds have been given out over that time.

"The costs of running any charitable trust inevitably takes money away in administration costs and particularly this is the case with a small trust over time where even basic costs can significantly affect resources available.

"The council, as trustee, will be reviewing the various options from the meeting."

Mr Hickson said the council is also looking into closing Chalvey Millennium Trust – which is responsible for managing Stabmonk Park.

He stressed that no decision had been made on either trust while officers investigated the possibility of closing them.

He added councillors would be updated at a meeting in October.

The council declared itself effectively bankrupt in 2021 and has since been trying to balance the books.