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No plans for cuts
• I WANT to clarify that EC1 New Deal for Communities is not making any “cuts” (Primary schools to lose £152,000 in regeneration game, December 28). We actually have slightly more revenue money to spend in 2008-09 than in the current financial year.
EC1 NDC board has made some decisions about the priorities for the remaining three years of the NDC programme. These are based on the changing needs of, and situation in, the NDC area to ensure we generate the maximum possible impact across a very wide range of issues.
This has involved increasing the financial allocations for some objectives – such as improving the attainment of secondary school-age children, supporting families in need and tackling anti-social behaviour – and reducing those for others. The latter are in respect of areas where we have successfully invested a large amount of money in previous years, such as support for primary schools and improving the maintenance of the environment.
There are no plans to cut funding to anyone who has an existing grant approval for 2008-2009. We have not yet invited many new bids for funding and so have not exceeded our overall budget allocation for 2008-2009 as indicated in your article.
I would like to reassure readers and residents of EC1 NDC area that we are not reducing the allocations for projects aimed at young people and at getting adults into work and training. These are, in fact, two major priorities and we we will be putting a lot of money and energy into both over the remaining three years of the programme.
ANDY MURPHY
Chief executive, EC1 New Deal for Communities |
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