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Swinney closes ASCC, 5 July 2011

Association of Scottish Community Councils
Online Bulletin
 
5 July 2011 

ASCC Trustees Announce Closure 

The Trustees of the Association of Scottish Community Councils are gravely saddened to announce that, as the result of a massive cut in funding by the Scottish Government, the ASCC will be wound up.

The unincorporated arm of the ASCC will cease all activity with immediate effect.   The charitable arm will begin the process for winding up, as required by companies and charity legislation, towards a closing date of 30th April 2012.  The timing of this closure is to allow Community Councils who receive insurance protection via ASCC to remain insured for the whole of the current insurance schedule.

The halt in activities of the unincorporated arm has a number of immediate consequences, including the cancellation of all further Regional Meetings, elections, ballots, the Annual National Conference and the quarterly issues of the ASCC Magazine.

The charity will continue to provide minimal support to Community Councils until the winding up process is complete.

The Scottish Government Finance Secretary, Mr John Swinney, offered the ASCC a grant of £30,000 for the current financial year.  That was subsequently increased to £40,000, but with strings attached so the money could only be spent on three specific areas.  This represents a more than FORTY PERCENT drop in income for the ASCC; the Association's minimum operating requirements for one year are over £70,000.  Our financial and legal advisers were unanimous in saying that the ASCC could not operate with such a loss. 

The Association is unable to make up the loss of Government income with grants from other funders.  The nature of the remit of the ASCC is such that major grant funders will not provide funding to the Association, because it exists to promote and support a part of the statutory sector.

The unincorporated arm is required to cease operating immediately, because the elected representatives of the ASCC are fully liable if it incurs liabilities it has no income to cover. 

National Vice President, CCllr Bob Kerr said:

"Mr Swinney has purposefully decided to cause the closure of a national charity - the only national organisation representing, promoting and supporting the Community Councils of Scotland.  He should be ashamed when he claims to support local democracy, and then attacks the most local tier of elected representation in Scotland.

This seems to have been part of a plan, the precursor of which was a shamefully biased and unprofessional "survey" of ASCC stakeholders.  It appears Mr Swinney is using a prejudiced analysis of that flawed opinion poll to justify the closure of a Scottish charity.

1200 Community Councils in Scotland are now without a collective voice, and a national presence.  It seems the unkept promises to Community Councils from the Government's 2007 Manifesto were only the beginning.  Mr Swinney has just given the best possible gift to the bureaucrats and politicians who have resented and marginalised Community Councils since they were established in 1973."
 
Contact Details

Office:            
office@ascc.org.uk
Web :              www.ascc.org.uk
Telephone :      0845 644 5153
Address :        ASCC, PO Box 5099, Glasgow, G78 9AE

We welcome your feedback on this and on future newsletters.
 
The Association of Scottish Community Councils is the national representative and campaigning body for all the Community Councils of Scotland. It is independent of all governments - national and local, and all other interests.  Its elected representatives are chosen by Community Councils, and are themselves Community Councillors. It was founded by Community Councils in 1994, in response to the proposals to reorganise local government, with a mission to ensure the voice of Community Councils was not lost in the new unitary local authorities.

Scottish Charity No. SC0416325 / Company No. 357589

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