THE Wycombe Race Equality Council is to close after more than 50 years after a district council withdrew its funding.

The doors of the WREC's Desborough Road offices will close for the last time on March 31. Volunteers have been informed and staff handed notices of redundancy.

WREC blamed the closure on Wycombe District Council's decision to pull the plug on a £70,000 grant in a letter to the Bucks Free Press.

WREC also criticised the council for not consulting over the funding cut – this claim has been rejected by WDC, which will part fund a new county-wide service.

Mr Barlow, chairman of WREC, bemoaned the closure of the WREC, which has given free advice to ethnic and minority groups for more than half a century.

He said: “It's devastating news. WREC has been around longer than I can remember, it has helped countless people and always been there.

“Anyone that says we don't need such service in a multi-cultural society, I would strongly disagree – you only have to look at the work it has done and should continue to do.

“If race relations in High Wycombe are good and to improve, it is due to organisations such as WREC.

“If you look at Bucks' population of blacks, ethnic minorities and other groups, Wycombe stands out – which is why we are looking at hiring some desk space in the town to give people a place to come.”

WDC, which handed £70,000 to WREC, will instead place £10,000 into a Buckinghamshire County Council fund to finance a new centralised organisation, the Bucks Equality Consortium, based in Chesham.

In a statement, WDC said it was “disappointed to read a copy of the misleading letter from WREC to the Bucks Free Press.”

The authority said it held talks with the county council, other district councils and equality councils about a county-wide equalities advice service in 2009.

WDC said it recognised the £60,000 reduction would be “difficult to manage” without additional funding or a service merger – which is why “we have actively supported work to deliver a county-wide service”.

The council said the decision to reduce the grant to £10,000 came into effect in July and the council has continued to pay it while talks to set up BEC were on going.

The statement added: “It is disappointing that WREC – who have been actively involved in the grants review process and have been working with us for over two years on a county-wide service – have suggested that we did not make them aware about the grant review process or the set-up of a county-wide service.

“We have put in a substantial amount of work to ensure that the change to the way the service is delivered has minimal impact on local residents.”

WREC provides a walk in service for people from minority groups to go for information and advice on a wide range of topics and subjects – such as immigration enquires, advice for single mothers and advocacy services.