Buckie Community Hub make ‘equitable’ funding plea as Elgin group handed almost £20k by Moray Council
“We just want equal treatment” - that is the plea from a community hub project who feel they are being passed over for financial support.
Buckie Community Hub was opened almost three years ago in the town’s East Church Street in a bid to help some of those hit hardest by the cost of living crisis.
The brainchild of Buckie Area Forum (BAF), the project is run by a 30-strong team of volunteers with part-time assistance from a Moray Council community support officer.
Relying entirely on grants and donations, the Hub could potentially run out of cash by March next year if funding is not secured.
The team have, however, been left disappointed after Moray Council recently announced they were handing a broadly similar project in Elgin - The Link, on Southfield Road - £17,500. The project already receives cash handouts from the Moray Pathways Local Employability Partnership and the New Elgin Community Plan to cover their running costs - believed to be in the order of £36,000 a year - and other expenses. A support officer from the council is also believed to be attached to The Link, thought to be on a full-time basis.
BAF chairman Gordon McDonald said that it was vital an equitable stance was taken to supporting the two community organisations.
He continued: “I would like to stress that we’re not against The Link getting financial support, quite the opposite.
“There’s a real need for what they do.
“What we do want is an equitable approach to the use of public funds and council officer support for both groups.
“It did knock us back a bit when we saw the running costs figures for The Link, which are about double ours. We also deal with around double the amount of people - in the region of 20-25 - a day than The Link.
“Elgin in general is getting so much support from the likes of the Growth Deal and so on, the bulk of which is being spent there while we’re struggling here in Buckie.
“We're both meant to be in the same council area. The Link deserves support, what we're saying is why could we not get some support to help us continue because of the work we're doing? I understand finances are tight across all of the public sector, but all we’re asking is for a bit of equity in how we’re treated.
“The volunteers we've got are absolutely excellent and they all bring something to the table. They've all got their own different skills and we use that to the maximum. We have our own independence because we are not accountable to anybody. All of these things are a big plus but at the end of the day you don't survive on these things alone without getting financing.
“To make things worse, the council removed the funding we used to get for admin as part of their cost-cutting.”
Mr McDonald went on to issue a stark warning as to what the likely impact would be should the worst case scenario come to pass and the Hub closes next spring.
He continued: “That is something which worries me a lot because I hadn't appreciated how bad the situation is here.
“The Hub was originally created to help folk with the cost of living crisis - which shows no sign of abating here, by the way - but there’s lots of areas where, in some ways, it's got nothing to do with the cost of living crisis.
“Folk are coming in with mental health issues, they're coming in with all sorts of other support needs because the agencies have all withdrawn a lot of the work that they're doing.
“As we're volunteers, I think a lot of people trust us when they come through the door. They're not speaking to people in suits, they're talking to their own. We have built up a reputation throughout the area for helping people. We have great links with the schools and with DWP [Department of Work and Pensions].
“We actually get referrals from social work. We get referrals from the NHS. There's a whole variety of people that we're quite happy to take referrals from.
“If the Hub closes what will happen is probably these folk will really suffer badly, because there's nobody there to support them. Or the agencies that are there will end up having to spend more money in dealing with the issues that we've been tackling for them.
“In a lot of ways, it’d actually be cheaper in terms of the wider public purse if we got financial support.”
A spokesperson from Moray Council said: “Moray Council’s Community Support Unit has two full-time officers supporting both Buckie and New Elgin, but no officer is dedicated exclusively to a single hub.
“Buckie began with an established community group and has had council support for some time. The Link, however, started without that foundation, so additional support has been important to help volunteers get the project under way.
“The £17,500 funding was awarded to extend The Link’s lease for six months with work continuing to increase the involvement of local volunteers in developing the project.”
To find out more about Buckie Community Hub, including opening times and services offered, visit the group’s Facebook page. Alternatively, phone (01542) 780624 or email admin@buckiehub.com
