Wigan Council branded 'heartless' for not giving charity special break

Dave Armstrong who invested £2.5m in Wigan creating the UK first zero energy cost business park in the UK, creating hundreds of jobs branded the local authority “heartles” for denying Great Minds Bright Futures discretionary rates relief for occupying a small building at Armstrong Point, to collect, sort, pack and ship aid to Malawi.

But the town hall says that it has to treat each appeal on a case by case basis because council taxpayers’ money is being used.

It points out that the charity already benefits from business rates relief but doesn’t explain in its statement its rationale for declining the Great Minds Bright Futures bid. However Mr Armstrong said he had been told that it was more likely to grant the discretionary relief if the beneficiaries of a charity’s work were local so money was being ploughed back into the community where council taxpayers live.

Mr Armstrong first went to Malawi in 2006 and describes that trip as “life changing”. Since then he has dedicated thousands of hours to support disadvantaged orphaned or vulnerable children and provided substantial funds personally and through constant fundraising.

Great Minds Bright Futures links children in Wigan with children in Malawi for shared learning experiences, but he says the council view this as offering no benefit to Wigan people.

He said: “I have had numerous businesses in Wigan employing hundreds of Wigan people over the years and the property portfolio I currently own, our tenants have contributed over £3.7m in payable rates over the years to Wigan Council, yet they have denied my charity the 20 per cent discretionary relief amounting to £1,671 per year.

"If my charity spends this money on rates, it could mean six children in Malawi may be refused entry to our feeding centres giving them vital food to survive. Wigan Council is truly heartless”.

He added: “Wigan Council have told me that we do not qualify for the relief because we are not doing charitable endeavours and we have no benefit to Wigan people.”

Mr Armstrong strongly denies the council’s claims. Great Minds Bright Futures is a registered charity that raises funds to support orphaned and vulnerable children in one of poorest countries of the World. A country where a whole generation of parents have been wiped out due to HIV/AIDS leaving over two million orphans.

He says he has tried to plead with the council by explaining about the registered charity status, he has even offered for them to view the unit for themselves to see the work that is being undertaken, but they refused.

In response to Wigan Council’s second point of not assisting Wigan people, Mr Armstrong said that not only does the charity offer opportunities for Wiganers to volunteer at the unit, but the charity has also reached out to all Wigan schools for long term collaborations to assist the children of Wigan and Malawi.

Mr Armstrong has told the council of his offer to Wigan schools which include an assembly helping Wigan children understand about another part of the world, plus collections for unwanted, unloved items that children can bring in to school, that the charity will send to Malawi.

Also the schools often dispose of unwanted books, chairs, lost property, saving the school (and the council) money instead of scrapping these items.

Just last month, Mr Armstrong along with volunteers collected 160 unwanted school chairs that would have cost the school significant money to dispose, “yet these acts are not seen to ‘help Wigan people’” he said.

A Wigan Council spokesperson said: “We understand the concerns raised by Great Minds Bright Futures regarding the recent decision on their application for additional Discretionary Rate Relief.

“The organisation has already been supported to obtain Business Rates relief available to charitable bodies, in line with our commitment to supporting those organisations that contribute positively to our community. Additional discretionary rates relief, which is funded in part by local taxpayers, must be carefully assessed. Applications are reviewed based on alignment with the council’s priorities, the charity’s activities and its financial position. After careful consideration, the request for an extra 20 per cent relief was declined.

“Wigan Council remains committed to supporting local organisations and welcome future applications which will be considered on a case-by-case basis.”

Mr Armstrong is taking his own children out to Malawi this summer, but would still like to connect with any Wigan school that wants a long term collaboration with a project in Africa supporting orphaned and vulnerable children.

He said: “All school children want to help others children who are less fortunate, it’s part of their DNA.

"All children gain so many valuable lessons from helping others and showing compassion to others. If there are any Wigan schools that would like to be part of the programme that can offer support around Africa Day, then please get in touch.

"We are here to partner with you. Children can communicate with one another through videos and video calls, plus we give regular updates on any children that schools support.”

He added: “It is hoped that with long term connections with Wigan school children they might want careers in the third sector or make visits to the Malawi children at some point in future years.”

To get your school involved, please contact the charity on [email protected] and if you would like more details on the charity, see the website www.greatmindsbrightfutures.co.uk

Equally if you have any donations of children’s clothing, shoes, uniforms, books, pens, toothpaste, toothbrushes and soap, these can be dropped off at Unit 2 Armstrong Point, Swan Lane, Hindley Green Industrial Estate, Wigan, WN2 2HD.

Please check the website for a more exhaustive list of items the charity needs to ship the Malawi.

Great Minds Bright Futures is also offering a transformational retreat to Malawi later this year, for those wanting to make improvements to their lives, more details available on the website.