Below letter published in Regeneration & Renewal, 28th March 2008.
Battle to save ethnic refuge must be won
It is right that parliamentary pressure is being applied to get the London Borough of Ealing to reverser its plans to withdraw funding from Southall Black Sisters (R&R, 14 March p7).
This ethnic minority refuge provides a vital service to abused women, and all MPs should intervene to ensure that the funding continues, as its loss would mean the further disempowerment of an already marginalised section of the community.
It is no coincidence that Ealing Council’s decision comes at a time when the Government has its draft Cohesion Guidance for Funders out for consultation. That document states that the ‘ideal will be for mainstream provision to move towards a state where all people are properly supported’. Yet, the council has taken action before this policy has been implemented, without full and proper consideration of the damaging impact of the move on black and minority ethnic (BME) communities.
If the decision is not reversed then it will send a message to other local authorities that funding to BME groups can be stopped on the pretext that groups run by and for BME communities are not supporting cohesion or providing opportunities to interact with other communities.
I also hope that third sector minister Phil Hope personally intervenes. He should do everything in his power to ensure the survival of Southall Black Sisters and protect the vital work of BME organisations in helping to bring about a truly inclusive society.
Vandna Gohil
director, Voice4Change England