Newtownabbey Borough Council Subsidising Ecumenism

It transpires, as a result of a Freedom of Information request submitted to Newtownabbey Borough Council, that the ecumenical venture, C.A.N., mentioned in a previous post, and of which the new Greater Glengormley Churches Community Forum is a part, is being subsidised in part by the local Council.

In the region of £50,000 has so far been given to this ecumenical venture. This is not including Council facilities that have been put at its disposal:

1. £6,780 was given to Williamson Consulting during the consultation phase. A focus group meeting was also held at the Council owned Mossley Mill.

2. £42,500 was given to Macaulay Associates during the delivery phase. Four steering group meetings were held at Mossley Mill, plus a training session and a further three focus group meetings leading to the setting up of the Churches' Forum. The booking fee of £250 for the hire of the room to launch the Greater Glengormley Churches Community Forum was also waived.

It will be interesting to discover how much of this £50,000 comes from ratepayers in the Borough and whether the Council would be so accommodating to Protestant evangelical groups who might want to use Council premises for the furtherance of their objectives!