Newcastle autism charity and foodbank to close this month as council serves notice on building
by Daniel Hall · ChronicleLiveA Newcastle autism charity and foodbank will close its doors this month, blaming the closure on a 500% rent increase by Newcastle City Council.
Families 1st 4 Additional Needs (FANS) was established in 2018 as a small autism charity on the Brunswick Industrial Estate. During the Coronavirus pandemic, the charity moved into the Brunswick Park Centre, signing a short-term tenancy at will.
Since June 2021, the charity has had an agreement with the council to pay £416.67 per month to rent the building, amounting to £5,000 a year. FANS runs the North Newcastle Foodbank and operates a series of services to support people in need as far away as Ashington and Wallsend.
Newcastle City Council says that £5,000 a year does not cover the full running costs of the building, and proposed to charge FANS £30,000 annually to cover it. The council says FANS has racked up £8,698.02 in rent arrears over a "considerable amount of time" and that there are "concerns over health and safety". However, the charity says that it has always had a clean bill of health and that the council has constantly moved the goalposts when it comes to health and safety.
ChronicleLive has previously reported on the charity's fears it would be forced to leave the Brunswick Park Centre in October because of the issues highlighted above. Though a number of meetings have taken place between FANS and the council, it has not been possible for the parties to come to an agreement that suits both.
Amanda Boyce, founder and trustee of FANS, said: "We've got referrals coming in thick and fast for long-term support and some of the cases that we're getting, to think they're not going to get the support we're giving is heartbreaking."
FANS is currently trying to get through the remaining food on site out to its users and is pausing services on surplus food with suppliers such as Marks and Spencer, Greggs and Aldi. Though FANS has been served notice for February 28, they are closing services on December 20.
Mark Edwards, Parish Priest of St Cuthbert's Brunswick and St Matthews Dinnington described the council's rent increase as "extortionate". Rev Edwards said: "This food bank provides so much more than food.
"It’s a place of hope and help for people with nowhere else to turn, offering clothing, furniture, children’s toys, and other essentials. This increase is not only unsustainable; it feels like an attack on the very people who need support the most."
Amanda Boyce is hopeful FANS will find a new site in the coming months to continue supporting those in need. She said: "We're not going to fold this charity, this model is too good.
"It works so well, we just need to shave it up and ship it out of the Brunswick Park Centre. We need a warehouse space of about 4-5,000 square feet, I don't want it to be huge, it just needs to be big enough to get the service on its feet."
A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said: "We appreciate the invaluable contribution the voluntary sector makes to the city. Unfortunately, Families 1st 4 Additional Needs (FANs) has been unable to meet the costs in connection with their occupation of this building and we can no longer afford to subsidise them given that there are also arrears going back a considerable amount of time.
"There have also been concerns over health and safety with the building which we have raised with FANs. In order to assist them we have agreed a longer notice period to help them consider their future plans and written off their arrears. We are also aware they have other properties they can use in connection with their work.
"Families assisted by FANs will be signposted to support. Through Newcastle’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service, parents, and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities are offered free, impartial, and confidential information, advice, and support.
"The Newcastle Foodbank operates from seven locations across the city. In addition, our cost-of-living support website has information about where to get help and support with housing, energy, debt, benefits, money, council tax, school and learning costs. We will keep the Brunswick Park Centre secure until a suitable sustainable use for it can be found."
Join our WhatsApp communities
ChronicleLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our communities.
We have a number of communities to join, so you can choose which one you want to be part of and we'll send you the latest news direct to your phone. You could even join them all!
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
Join the ChronicleLive Breaking News and Top Stories community
Join our Court & Crime community
Join the Things to do in Newcastle and the North East community
Join our Northumberland community
Join our County Durham community
Join our Great North Run community