[30 SEP 98]
COMMUNITY NEWS
Ethnic Protest At Coventry
Council HouseCoventry's Ethnic Minority
Alliance this afternoon staged a protest against the city council's rejection of their
funding bids for Foleshill training projects.
The protest outside the Council House attracted
dozens of placard waving supporters and took place whilst a council committee discussing
the issue was taking place behind closed doors.
MEMBERS OF EMA DEBATING THE ISSUES WITH
CLLR JOHN MUTTON (CENTRE)
OUTSIDE THE COUNCIL HOUSE
The ethnic group is claiming the city council has racial
motives for turning down their funding applications. One of the applications they have
made is for £425,000 from the Single Regeneration Bid Challenge Fund available for local
capacity building projects in the Foleshill area of the city. The group's bid forms part
of an overall £0.75m package to develop a 'One Stop Shop' training and education project
for the area.
 The 'One Stop Shop' project is to be led by the Ethnic Minority
Alliance (EMA) in partnership with the Employment Service, Coventry and Warwickshire
Chamber of Commerce, Training and Enterprise, Coventry City Council's Community Education
Service, three Further Education colleges and both Coventry University and the University
of Warwick.
Coventry Council officers have recommended the Council's
Community Affairs Policy Committee to turn down the projects as they "are not yet in
a form capable of approval". The Committee moved to private session to discuss the
issue after it was revealed that the Council had just received a letter from EMA's
solicitors. The community group is calling for a judicial review of the decision of a
council officer.
The Ethnic Minority Alliance (EMA) claims to have the
support of 80% of ethnic minority communities in Coventry. The organisation was formed
some months ago from a merger between two rival groups EMDA and EMDA Ltd.
READ THE COUNCIL'S PRESS RELEASE
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