Southwark accused of spoiling gay community’s Pride month plans

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

LGBT figures have hit out at the council after it waited until a day before the start of Pride month to tell them they had failed to win a single penny of £30,000 cash meant to support events for the community.

In February, Southwark council announced organisations could apply for up to £2,499 to put on events celebrating the LGBT community.

But some LGBT businesses and groups were left furious after they had their applications for cash turned down less than 24 hours before the first day of June – typically the main month for Pride celebrations.

Piers Greenlees, owner of LGBT pub The Rising and co-host of Southwark Pride, applied for the full £2,499 from the council to help put on events during Pride on June 22.

But after having his bid rejected by the council, the 27-year-old said he faced having to foot the bill for the events out of his own pocket.

He said: “It feels completely ridiculous that the people who are organising the event [Southwark Pride] aren’t getting the funding to host it. And they only told us the day before Pride month started. It feels so poorly organised.

“It’s annoying because we are doing something for the whole community. It’s a public event and it’s a free event to attend. It seemed to be the right thing to do to offer to support people and now it seems like a token gesture because it has been so poorly handled.”

Michael Zreika, who runs It’s Culture Innit (ICI), a Southwark-based social group for Gay, Bi and Trans men, was also left disappointed after the council turned down his application for cash.

The 50-year-old had wanted to use the money to hold a fete promoting local LGBT groups in the borough, and to help cover theatre trips and days out for ICI members who are struggling financially.

He said: “I thought the Pride fund was to help and I feel let down. There’s lots of Gay men and Trans men who have anxiety and struggle to meet people. Our group allows them to get involved and experience things that they wouldn’t normally.

“The [council’s] feedback said I didn’t include events in Southwark. But I did. I said step by step what I was doing. I just thought: they didn’t read the presentation. I don’t accept the reason they gave us really.”

Labour-led Southwark council said 35 organisations applied for grants from the council’s Pride fund and that 19 of these were awarded money. Enquiries from the council’s Liberal Democrat opposition revealed that £76,390 was applied for in total from the local groups.

Southwark council said an assessment panel, that included a resident of the borough, reviewed the bids against criteria including community impact and value for money.

Councillor Victor Chamberlain, leader of Southwark Liberal Democrats and one of the organisers of Southwark Pride, criticised the council for its handling of the process.

He said: “Letting applicants know if their events are being funded just one day before Pride month is ridiculous and amateurish. How are applicants supposed to plan and organise if they don’t know if they are getting any support?

“The £30,000 total on offer is measly in comparison to the number of applications. Southwark needs to match the ambition and needs of our vibrant LGBTQ+ community.”

A council spokesperson said: “Sadly, we are not able to support every single bid, and therefore selected those applicants who made the best case for funding. We sought to let successful and unsuccessful applicants know as soon as possible. We will continue to explore additional funding opportunities in the future.”

Pictured top: Piers Greenlees, owner of The Rising and co-host of Southwark Pride (Picture: Facundo Arrizabalaga)