BCAT – New Challenges 
and More Changes

By Rashid Ahmed (BCAT Chair)
and Steve Cooke (BCAF Chair)

BCAT’s new management team have been working on new plans to strengthen the organisation’s current position, and to take it forward into new areas. 

Volunteer Development Worker Ruth Passey organised a series of training sessions. These developed a clear strategy to deliver the desired services for the people of Burngreave, and to endeavour to play an effective role in local regeneration through the NDfC programme.

A New Deal project to develop ‘Strong Foundations’ has also been developed. After reducing the project from three years to one, the BNDfC sub-group approved the Registration of Interest from, and a full proposal has now been written and is awaiting final appraisal and approval.

Approval for the project is vital as the current funding can only take us to August at the latest – without it the local Trust will cease to exist.

The recent decision by BNDfC to move employment responsibilities for their BNDfC staff from BCAT to Sheffield City Council has had a severe effect– reducing our revenue and staff and causing considerable stress. However with continuing support from the community and the determination of staff and management, BCAT will continue to support the New Deal projects for which it is the managing agent. The pressure continues to mount for the community to see more visible improvement of the area

BNDfC recently appointed a consultant to carry out a feasibility study to determine which organisation should become the area’s Development Agency. BCAT has been a local delivery agency managing projects with a turnover of more than £1 million over four years. Furthermore, the local community have frequently expressed their desire for BCAT to become such an Agency – at the last EGM a motion was approved in principle for it to do just that, at a date to be determined by the results of the New Deal consultation, and following the outcome of a meeting of Burngreave stakeholders.

Is New Deal for our regeneration?

Find out more about Local People and Projects in Burngreave. What do you think? Join the debate on our Local People and Projects bulletin board.