Fears community group will close if grant is cut

Lud Ramsey, chair of the African Caribbean Community Association, fears the group will not survive

An African Caribbean community group in Derbyshire fears it may not be able to continue in the future if it loses a council grant.

The African Caribbean Community Association (ACCA), based in Chesterfield, has said it received an annual payment of about £20,000 from Derbyshire County Council.

But the authority is proposing to end discretionary grant funding in March 2025, a move that would affect more than 30 groups across the county.

The council ran a consultation on the proposal over the summer but a spokesperson said no decisions had been made yet.

The group also visits schools to speak about African and Caribbean culture

The ACCA has been running for more than 40 years.

It was established to promote the welfare of the African and Caribbean community and helps a wide range of people including being part of a food bank and providing a warm space during the colder months.

The group also carries out wellbeing visits to older members.

Earlier in October - Black History Month - ACCA visited Arkwright Primary School in Chesterfield to teach children about African and Caribbean culture, including the Windrush generation.

'What we need'

Lud Ramsey, chair of the ACCA, is worried about the potential impact if the group were to lose its funding from the council.

"Organisations like ourselves, we don't know if we will be able to survive because the funding we get from the council is vital for us," he said.

"It pays for our staff, for our accommodation, it pays for all bills, without that we can not really survive."

Mr Ramsey, who is also a Labour councillor on the local authority, warned the group would "probably have to close within a year" if the council grant is cut.

"We are currently looking for funding in other areas," he said.

"But when you look for funding, the funding you get is for specific projects, it is not paying the bills and that is what we need."

A spokesperson for the council said a report on the feedback received during the consultation on the matter would be considered by the authority's cabinet in November.

They added: "We have a responsibility to ensure that we are making the best use of our finite resources to support people fairly across the whole of the county and that we are protecting services for those people who need us most.

"Like many other councils across the country, we are facing significant budget pressures that are beyond our control which means we must consider how we use the resources we have available to ensure we can continue to deliver services we have to by law."