CRN and Waste Watch under pressure after grant cuts

The Community Recycling Network and Waste Watch are now seeking alternative funding, with the community sector umbrella organisation CRN stating it was “optimistic” in doing so.

” I feel that the value of a long relationship with Defra has been undermined by this decision to award no funding at all to Waste Watch. “
– Barbara Herridge, Waste Watch
But, despite a growing campaign calling on the government for strategic education funding, waste awareness specialists Waste Watch confirmed it had been forced into making some redundancies by the loss of funding.

The EAF has been awarding money for projects promoting sustainable consumption and production since 2002, with the latest funding – worth a total of 6.25 million – announced at the end of January 2005.

Grants ranging from 25,000 to 250,000 each year are awarded, with groups able to apply for three-year funding grants up to a total of 750,000, although projects must secure matching funding to be eligible.

CRN
A spokesman for the CRN confirmed that the network had also been hopeful for EAF funding. The spokesman said: “We were expecting funding from the Environmental Action Fund, but we didn't get the funding we wanted. We are looking at other sources of funding and are optimistic of doing so.”

The Community Recycling Network is holding a seminar session this week to encourage members to move “away from grant reliance into becoming self sustainable and grant independent businesses”.

”We didn't get the funding we wanted. We are looking at other sources of funding and are optimistic.“
– CRN
At an event in London on Wednesday, community groups will hear how Community Development Finance Initiatives (CDFIs) can provide capital and support to help create wealth in disadvantaged economies. But, the CRN spokesman said the CDFIs – billed as “lifeboats for the social economy” – were not an option for the CRN itself because of its charitable status.

Waste Watch
Waste Watch said it was “very disappointed” about the outcome of its fund application, and in a statement said: “As a result of the decision we will be making cuts to the organisation's level of expenditure, including making some redundancies.”

The group is to resign from around 10 cross-sectoral groups, and said it will no longer be able to respond to government consultations in the future.

Barbara Herridge, director of Waste Watch, explained that Defra had decided to fund individual community projects rather than taking a more strategic approach to community sector funding. She said she accepted that it was a competitive process and was difficult for Defra to make decisions when a fund is over-subscribed.

Even so, Ms Herridge said: “I feel that the value of a long relationship with Defra has been undermined by this decision to award no funding at all to Waste Watch via the EAF grant.”

Ms Herridge said it was particularly disappointing that Waste Watch would no longer have the resources to participate in the national policy and strategy debate “at a time when the views and involvement of the 'third sector' are so much in demand”.

With funding for waste education work unavailable elsewhere, Waste Watch has also warned that its work for schools could soon come to an end – with a resulting loss of 10 years' experience in the field. Over 100 organisations and individuals have now signed up to the group's campaign to urge the Department for Education to provide strategic funding for waste education.

Ms Herridge told letsrecycle.com Waste Watch was in “fighting spirit”, and that continuing work projects for WRAP and Defra was also keeping the organisation going.