Decision to axe Falkirk Community Trust and lose £1m a year 'should be reversed' say ex-directors

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A decision to scrap Falkirk Community Trust at a cost of £1 million a year should be reversed quickly before it’s too late, three former directors of the Trust have said.

The council made the decision to wind up the Trust and bring sport, leisure and cultural services back in-house from April this year – a decision that was strongly criticised at the time by the former directors.

Having the Trust run the services as an arms-length organisation means it can claim rates relief worth £1 million every year and the critics say there is no justification for losing this.Ian Scott – well known as a local historian and the Trust’s first chairman – renewed the call to reverse the decision after the publication of a report by the Accounts Commission, which criticised Falkirk councillors for not working together and failing to take tough decisions.The council needs to make savings of £70 million over the next five years and the report says that the additional costs of moving the Trust back in-house “pose a significant risk to value for money unless the council takes difficult decisions quickly”.In an open letter, Mr Scott said: “Like most folk, we were shocked (but not surprised) to see Falkirk splashed over the Scottish media as a bad example of how to run a community.“Our elected representatives of all parties have faced such criticism in the past but surely now must take action to put things in order before the authorities come in and do it for them.“It is essential that they work together in the interest of all the people, put aside their political differences and end the point scoring that has led us to this unhappy state.”Falkirk Live brings you the latest headlines from Falkirk and beyond.But did you know all the ways you