Race group stripped of £105,000

A racial equality group in Wolverhampton has had its funding axed by the city council after being criticised for "basically doing nothing".

Wolverhampton City Council is to pull £105,000-a-year for the Wolverhampton Race Equality Partnership, which started up in 2005. The group, which was based on a series of meetings between the community, the council and other service providers, has failed to provide details in recent months on what has been achieved so far.

Officers looking into its dealings also found its offices in Snow Hill regularly closed.

It is the second time controversy has hit an organisation of its type in the city.

The former Race Equality Council was disbanded in March 2003, after 35 years, with debts of £25,000 and its 14 employees made redundant. The decision to end the funding was made by the ruling Tory-Liberal Democrat alliance at a meeting of the cabinet last night, and was backed by the leader of the Labour opposition.

Councillor Jonathan Yardley, cabinet member for neighbourhoods and safer communities, said: "Our officers found the premises of the REP were constantly closed, they were basically doing nothing."