STAFF and service users of Glen Community Complex on the Suffolk Road staged a protest on Friday morning after losing out on vital funding from Belfast City Council.
Glen Community Parent/Youth Group have been funded by Belfast City Council to develop programmes and activities at the Glen Community Complex for around 20 years.
However, the group recently had an application for funding from the council’s new Large Community Support Programme rejected. They are now planning legal action against Belfast City Council.
Michael Doherty explained: "For 20 years Glen Community Parent/Youth Group have been funded by Belfast City Council for the delivery of community development programmes and activities in the Glen Community Complex.
"Whilst applying the group are asked to outline how these daily programmes and activities align with Belfast City Council’s Community Development outcomes and we have been successful in demonstrating in all our previous applications and detailed monitoring returns how we delivered.
"Following a programme merge, we submitted our new application in September. In January, we began to enquire when the outcome of the application would be communicated.
"In February, several groups who deliver the same programmes, activities and services as ourselves began to receive notification that their applications had been successful. On March 2 after phoning the Council, we were finally informed by email that the application was unsuccessful.
Michael Doherty speaking at the protest
"We were absolutely astounded. A follow-up meeting with Belfast City Council took place on March 9.
"Being involved in community development work for over 45 years and having taken part in meetings with British ministers, local ministers and civil servants on numerous occasions, I have never experienced a meeting as disrespectful and uncompromising as that.
"There was no attempt to take on board any of the queries that we raised, to reconsider the application or indeed to allow us to appeal this unjust decision. We have therefore been forced to take a judicial review of the decision and believe that it is unfair that Belfast ratepayers' money is being wasted to defend this decision."
Michael outlined some of the important community development work carried out by the group in recent months.
"In the past two years we have facilitated and co-ordinated the most extensive community consultation that has ever been held in our neighbourhood, seeking the views of local residents, schoolchildren and teachers, service providers, statutory bodies, elected representatives and other stakeholders.
"This resulted in a strategic five-year community plan Making Life Better in Lenadoon. The work and meetings of sub-groups established under the plan featured in our application to the Council’s Community Support Plan.
"In the past 12 months we have organised, hosted and facilitated six workshops and training courses aimed at tackling the issues concerning violence against women and young girls. These activities and programmes featured in our application to the Council's Community Support Programme. In response to the increasing needs of families with children with special education needs, we have organised numerous programmes and activities in our complex.
"We highlighted this in our application to the Council's Community Support Programme and listed a series of weekly programmes that we would be delivering in the complex over the next three years.
"Council officials mustn’t regard this as community development work.
"We were pleased to see many groups who provide the exact same services, activities and programmes as ourselves being funded under the Council's Community Support Large Grant Programme but cannot understand why we have been denied funding for delivering the exact same services, activities and programmes as these other deserving groups and centres.
"We have 12 local community groups who use the complex. This loss of funding is huge for us because it contributed to paying bills and running costs."
A Belfast City Council spokesperson said: “The Council received and has responded to pre-action correspondence from Glen Community Parent/Youth Group, who were unsuccessful in their application. It would be inappropriate to comment further on this particular application at this time.
“Belfast City Council introduced a new Community Support Plan large grant scheme last year, following a period of public engagement and consultation on the Plan.
"Through this grants programme, the council is providing over £5.4million support per annum to successful applicants, allowing them to bring targeted local activities and support to communities across the city.
“The Community Support Plan Grants scheme offered a three year fund of a maximum of £60,000 per year, to support organisations from April 2026 to March 2029. It opened on August 5, 2025, and applications had to be returned by noon on October 6.
"This was publicised through our usual channels, and we held seven information events for the sector between August 11 and 12 September, across the city and online, to allow organisations to ask questions about the application process.
"We encouraged all applicants to attend these sessions, even if they had received community funding from us on previous occasions, as it was a new process. Ultimately it was however for organisations to ensure that they met the essential criteria and provide the relevant supporting criteria as part of their application.”
Speaking at the protest, West Belfast Sinn Féin MLA Órlaithí Flynn said: "We value the years of work and dedication that the Glen Community Parent Youth Group has provided to the people of Lenadoon for many years.
"We recently met with representatives from the Glen Parent Youth Group and with Belfast City Council officials to discuss their concerns and their disappointment regarding the outcome of their funding application.
"The group have confirmed that they have now submitted a judicial review as a result of this outcome.
"We will continue to work alongside them and support them in anyway that we can in the time ahead."
Councillor Paul Doherty added that he was "proud" to stand in solidarity with the group and praised them for their resilience shown and their continued support to the people of Lenadoon.
