Ictu resigns seat on DICP board

THE DUBLIN Inner City Partnership (DICP), the development organisation from which Government support has been withdrawn, has suffered a further blow following the resignation of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) representative from its board.

However Siptu, which represents workers in DICP, has described the withdrawal of funding from the organisation, which supports communities in disadvantaged areas, as a “gross injustice”.

Impact assistant general secretary Denis Calnan, who joined the board of DICP last December following nomination by Ictu, resigned yesterday. His resignation comes ahead of a meeting of the board of DICP this morning.

The meeting will consider the future of DICP and its response to claims by State funding body Pobal of serious issues with its management of public funds. Further resignations are expected at the board meeting.

Siptu, along with the Inner City Community Networks and the Community Development Projects, is calling on Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs Pat Carey to reverse the decision to withdraw funding from DICP.

In an e-mail circulated to community groups and elected representatives, it states that all demands made by Pobal on DICP were met and the decision to withdraw funding was made without allowing DICP a right to reply.

An audit review carried out by Pobal last December found DICP had continued to pay staff salaries in excess of the maximum allowed by Pobal, despite having been alerted to the problem in March 2008.

The Siptu-led e-mail states that following receipt of the audit review in January last, the DICP board approved salary reductions for DICP staff and for staff employed in organisations supported by DICP; adopted the Pobal operations manual as the sole source for policies and procedures; and set out a comprehensive action plan addressing each issue raised in the audit with timelines for delivery and full implementation by end of April 2010.

The e-mail states the withdrawal of funding would have “serious consequences” for the inner city and would put the jobs of workers in community organisations at risk.

It said the partnership has “provided leadership and support for inner city communities for almost 20 years”.