Charity gets £220k lifeline after funding cut

A charity that lost its main source of funding last year has been given a lifeline thanks to £220,000 of council funding.

Erewash Voluntary Action (EVA) provides support to 400 small voluntary groups across the borough, including setting up training.

Derbyshire County Council ended discretionary grant funding for the charity in March 2025, which James Bromley, EVA chief executive, said would put jobs at risk and have a "massive impact" on some of the county's most vulnerable people.

However, Erewash Borough Council has now stepped in with financial support, which will sustain the Long Eaton-based charity's core services and give it two years to look for a longer-term solution.

Bromley said the new funding was a "massive relief" for him, his staff and the groups they support.

"Our work supports a lot of people that are particularly vulnerable, there's always that concern when there's cuts... it's been a hugely uncertain period for all of us," he added.

"It's tough working in the voluntary sector, but I think we do it because of the positive impact and the support we can give to the community."

The-then Conservative-run Derbyshire County Council decided to cut £1.1m from the voluntary sector at a cabinet meeting in November 2024, taking effect the following March.

Natalie Hoy, who was the authority's cabinet member for adult care at the time, said the council faced strong financial pressures and needed to focus on services it was legally required to provide - which did not include funding charities.

This led to EVA's main service - acting as a volunteer support centre - losing £107,000 annually, which Bromley said represented half of its funding.

He said if the service was forced to close, it would have a knock-on impact on many of the groups EVA supports, with some unable to continue without the charity.

"We support groups of all sizes in different ways, but I think the smaller ones that are led primarily by volunteers are the ones that rely on us heavily to support them with day-to-day admin support or that bigger governance side," Bromley said.

"I think there's no other organisations in Erewash that deliver [that kind of support].

"So I think we would have seen a lot of groups drop out."

Derbyshire County Council is now run by Reform UK but Joss Barnes, the authority's current cabinet member for adult care, said it was not looking at bringing back the grant funding.

"We do recognise that the volunteer sector does a fantastic job out there, but that's not one thing we're looking at, we've got to focus on our own rising costs," he added.

The money from Labour-run Erewash Borough Council will be allocated from its £6.5m investment fund, which is designed to support projects that help local communities.

Becca Everett, deputy council leader, said the authority could not "stand idly by while seeing the local voluntary sector suffer".

She added EVA, which the authority said handled almost 10,000 inquiries in 2025, was doing "fantastic work" in the community.

"Without their involvement there would be a significant impact on these groups who are doing great work for and with out local residents," Everett said.

Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.