Forum Connemara in cash crisis

A longstanding community development group has been hit by a legal bill which may reach over €120,000 – and to compound the crisis, there are fears that up to nine jobs may be lost at its headquarters in Letterfrack at the end of the year.

The legal bill arises from High Court proceedings between Forum Connemara Ltd and Galway County Council.

The dispute centred on the administration in the coming years in County Galway of what is known as the SICAP programme – the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme.

It aims to tackle poverty, social exclusion and long-term unemployment through local engagement between community organisations and public sector agencies.

Forum claimed that the process relating to the completion for the contract to administer this programme in County Galway was faulty and the initiated Court action.

However, the High Court upheld the validity of Galway County Council’s procedures.  And Forum Connemara has now been hit with the total expenses relating to the case.

While the organisation, which has a long record of community work in Connemara, grapples with the immediate financial headache it is also faced with losing anything up to half of its staff.

The Court ruling on the case between Forum and Galway County Council earlier this year involved a stay on certain finances from the state body, Pobal, which pays for the wages of some staff in Forum.

These members of staff had been employed mainly in a social inclusion programme – similar to the SICAP – for a number of years past.

The Court stay meant that the staff compliment of close to 20 could be maintained for the time being.  However, this matter comes up again before the High Court on December 16.  If the money from Pobal is removed, up to nine staff at Forum will be made redundant on December 31.

The contract for the administration of the SICAP programme throughout the County for a five year period was awarded to the Galway Rural Development Company earlier this year.  They have their head offices in Athenry.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.