May 23, 2001 14:51: LEWISHAM Racial Equality Council will close down on Friday after councillors pulled the plug on its funding.
Angry workers at the LREC which has been running for 30 years announced the news on Monday.
The decision by Lewisham Council to withdraw its £75,000 lifeline was made after concerns about the management committee, LREC spokesman Simon de Banya, said.
But the council denies claims it is abandoning racial-equality support.
The committee had included five borough councillors who recently resigned en masse.
LREC stepped into the recent high-profile case of 10-year-old Jevan Richardson, who hanged himself at his Forest Hill home following problems at school. It handled the case on behalf of Jevan's family, who criticised its treatment by the school and local authority.
The closure leaves around 600 cases on the equality council's books unfinished. Six full-time workers it employs were this week trying to tackle some of the existing workload from their Lewisham offices.
Some of the posts were paid for through grants by the national Council for Racial Equality and the National Lottery, although the Lewisham Council funding was the main source of income.
Mr De Banya, who is the organisation's anti-racial harassment and education co-ordinator, said: "It has been necessary to challenge institutions and organisations for racial equality and racial justice.
"I have real concerns as to what will replace this organisation and hope the local authority is serious about tackling race equality issues and it is not all lip service.
"The community does have the right to know why it was felt this organisation had to be closed. I hope those responsible for making such decisions have done this with the community in mind and not because it has been necessary on occasion to challenge the local authority and other institutions."
A spokesman for Lewisham Council said: "The council is responsible for ensuring it gets maximum value for money from all the grants it gives out. We have taken the decision not to renew the funding and are searching for other ways to deliver this service.
"Race equality is one of our key issues. We are keen to ensure Lewisham carries on its tradition of good race relations."
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