Taxpayers to fund another city race group

Taxpayers' cash is to be spent on setting up another race equality group in Wolverhampton despite the last one being axed for "basically doing nothing".

Talks are under way with a new group to set up a successor to the failed Racial Equality Partnership (REP), which had £105,000 of yearly funding withdrawn.

It will be the third attempt by the authority to create a publicly funded group for tackling any racial equalities in the city.

The REP started up in 2005 to replace the old Race Equality Council, which folded in 2003 with debts of £25,000.

Tettenhall Regis councillor Jonathan Yardley, neighbourhoods and community safety boss, said today: "The Racial Equality Partnership was given chance after chance. Since we ended the funding, another racial equality organisation has had talks with us about taking over the funding."

The REP has three paid workers, including chief executive Jatinder Sharma on around £40,000. Its funding is due to end next month. Councillor Yardley has said the REP "basically did nothing" after officers published a report saying the group failed to respond to requests for information and could not explain what it had achieved since 2005.