TWO voluntary groups which between them lost more than £1 million in council funding this year because of cutbacks have vowed it is business as usual.
Castle Vale Tenants and Residents Alliance (TRA) lost £200,000, whilst Merlin Venture lost £841,845.
But both said they had survived lean times in the past and would do so again because their finances were “robust”.
They said the funding they had received from Birmingham City Council was for specific projects which they always knew would come to an end in March of this year.
They said they had never relied on the council for their core funding because the majority of their money came from other sources.
Both organisations are based in Spitfire House in Castle Vale.
TRA, as well as campaigning for residents in Castle Vale and Shard End, runs debt and benefit advice, job clubs and last year found 50 people jobs.
Whilst Merlin, which has 80 people on its payroll, provides work placements, training and finds jobs for people in north Birmingham and north Warwickshire. Last year it found 500 people jobs.
Ray Goodwin, chief executive of TRA which employs eight staff, said they did not blame the council.
“These cuts are from central government and the council has to respond,” he said. We knew our money from the council was coming to an end so for us it is business as usual.
“These are days of austerity and we have to find ways of generating income and have found funding from other sources.”
His colleague, Judy Tullett, said: “We are in this business for the long haul and are not going to collapse.”
Robert Brown, chief executive of Merlin, said like TRA, they did not rely on council funding and dipped into lots of pots of money for their funding.
It also had income from social enterprises such as children’s nurseries, a training centre, and a gardening venture. “This is not the first time we’ve been through lean times. But we have good reserves, our finances are robust and we will carry on,” he said.
* Has your charity been hit by cuts? Email letters@birminghammail.net