Community council want £1500 back

Sep 2 2009 by Kenny Smith, Rutherglen Reformer

CAMBUSLANG Community Council are going to war with the Friends of Cambuslang Park over a grant of £1500.

Community council chairman Jack Taylor - a member of the Friends group until July this year - is unhappy that a grant of £1470.17 was made to the Friends in May last year, at a meeting at which he was not personally present.

The money was given from the Morriston Park Fund, which is administered by the community council.

They distribute funds from the sale of the former Morriston sports grounds, formerly owned by the University of Strathclyde, for the benefit of local clubs and organisations.

However, in a letter leaked to the Reformer, the community council claim the request for the money, to be used for football equipment, did not go through their usual procedures.

The letter states: “In May/June 2008, the organisation calling themselves The Friends of Cambuslang Park was only a group of people who had no formal committee or constitution.

“Had their application come to our community council it would have been rejected on the ground that it did not qualify under the terms laid down by the University.

RETURNED

“Please make arrangements for this sum of £1470.17 to be returned in the first instance to Cambuslang Community Council, otherwise we will be obliged to take alternative steps to seek the recovery of these monies.”

However, Reformer investigations can confirm that the Friends of Cambuslang Park was officially formed, with a constitution, in March 2008. The constitution was formally drawn up with help from Create Ltd.

The Friends became a registered charity in February this year.

A spokesman for South Lanarkshire Council said: “The Friends of Cambuslang Park provided a copy of their constitution in June 2008 which was found to be in order.

“The group also met the criteria for receiving community grant funding and a recommendation was made to the area committee that an appropriate grant award be made.”

Neither Cambuslang Community Council chairman Jack Taylor, or the Friends of Cambuslang Park, were available for comment.

The special meeting to discuss the situation will be held on Tuesday, September 8, at 7.30pm, in the Cambuslang Parish Church hall.