Funding blow for local centres

APPEALS have been made to reverse a decision last week that will see the closure of two popular Southside sports centres.

In what has been described as a bizarre decision, Pobal has withdrawn funding from July 1 for the community use of the sports centres in Inchicore and on Clogher Road in Crumlin.

According to Brid Smith of People Before Profit, who condemned the decision, both are very modern and well equipped facilities that are intended for use by the local community.

“Pobal had funded the centres to run after school hours to facilitate local sports and youth groups,

? Cllr Smith explained.

“Dublin City Council has been staffing both centres.

“Dozens of youth and community sports clubs make use of these centres to their full capacity.

There are 32 or 33 sports clubs and groups that use the Clogher Road facility alone. These clubs have hundreds and hundreds of members between them, participating in activities every evening from basketball and football to dance and Salsa classes.

“On almost every single day there are some activities going on in the centre – it is always busy.

“The Inchicore sports centre is less used but is still busy,

? she added.

“There could be three or four clubs using the Inchicore facility every single week.

“This will be a massive blow to those communities and especially to the youth of these areas.

It is unacceptable to cut the use of these facilities in areas that already tick the boxes for poverty, deprivation and high unemployment.

?

Cllr Smith called on the Minister for the Environment, Alan Kelly, to intervene immediately to prevent the closure of the sports centres.

“If these closures go ahead it will be a blight on the record of Labour in Government,

? she stated, before calling for unity among all local councillors to campaign to stop the facilities being lost to local groups.

A spokesperson for Pobal stated:

“Pobal manages a number of programmes on behalf of several Government departments and other bodies.

“Where we provide funding to an organisation, this is regulated through a formal contract and it is not our policy to discuss details of individual organisations with third parties.

?

A spokesperson for Minister Kelly’s office referred us to the Department of Social Protection.

The department issued a statement saying the City of Dublin Education and Training Board were approved for a contract under the Department of Social Protection’s Community Services Programme to support the operation of community leisure facilities at Clogher Road and Inchicore.

“The annual contract value amounted to

?¬216,264 on an annual basis,

? the statement reads.

“The contract is for the delivery of services in support of the communities in these areas to access and use the facilities and is paid in the form of a wage subsidy to specific posts at the centres. The current contract is due to expire at the end of June 2015.

“Contracts under the Community Services Programme are reviewed at least once every three years. The contract of the operation of these centres was reviewed during 2014 and the recommendation approved by the Department. Given the weaknesses in the business plan put forward by the Education and Training Board and the manner in which the key criterion of the Community Services Programme were addressed, it was not possible to approve funding for a further three years.

?

The statement adds:

“It is the Department’s understanding that the City of Dublin Education and Training Board has sought a review of the decision to conclude the contract on its expiry at the end of June 2015, and the outcome of that review is due to be with the Department this month.

?