Communication Failure: ZERO Applications For £10k 'Major Grant Fund' At Burgess Hill Town Council

Poor, outdated communication methods used by Burgess Hill Town Council has seen community groups miss out on applying for grants from a fund of £10k - with Burgess Hill Town Council seeing nothing wrong in what they do.

At the Community Engagement key area group meeting on Wednesday 26th October, the councillors were having to decide which grants to award to local community groups and organisations that had put in an application. Remarkably, there was not a single application for grants from the 'Major Grants' fund.

When the group questioned why there had been no applications, the Community Development Officer pointed out that information had been published in the council's 'About Town' magazine and that a press release had been sent out....no doubt buried deep inside the Mid Sussex Times - a paper that barely anyone buys now.

The problem here is that this method may have worked well in 1996, but it's now 2016. People's media consumption habbits and choices have changed.

Unfortunately, the councillors and council staff have not moved forward with the times. You'll struggle to find someone under 50 years old calling the shots at BHTC.


The BHTC Community Engagement Key Area Group headed up by Publicity Pru Moore.

Amazingly, a councillor did utter the words 'Facebook' but Cllr Pru Moore shut down that suggestion immediately. The reason.... because too many groups and organisations may apply!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heaven forbid that groups may find out about money which they are entitled to bid for. Or is it that Town councillors want to purposefully keep this fund on the quiet so that there's money in the pot when their favoured local groups come calling?

And so what if too many groups make an application? It doesn't mean that BHTC have to give money to everyone, there's a set amount of £10k for a reason. Lots of applications are better than NONE for goodness sake!

So there you go ladies and gentlemen, Burgess Hill Town Council staff and councillors show that once again they are stuck in the dark ages.

Joe Public loses out.

Got an opinion on this story? Leave a comment below.....
What do you think of there being no applications for BHTC's major grants fund? Should BHTC change their communication methods? Are they deliberately keeping the money quiet for when their favoured community groups need it?