About RCRE

Supporting Individuals, Organisations & Communities

RCRE has a 40-year track record of working in partnership with Statutory Agencies, Voluntary Organisations and Community Groups. We are now under threat and need your support.

The Reading Borough Council Cabinet has decided to discontinue funding for the RCRE. This is a devastating blow to us and the decision seems to be based on rather spurious reasons and carried out without any consultation with us or our stakeholders.

Please support us in the following ways;

Read the letter from our Chair which was sent to the Cabinet, this constains more details.
Write a letter to, telephone or meet with your local Councillor and ask for a reconsideration of the Cabinet decision. For your convenience, see the attached contact list for Councillors. Send us a copy, or let us know what happens.
Send an email to your Councillors. This is easy to do, just enter the contact list of councillors and then press the blue email address given in the table. Please copy to us at info@rcre.co.uk
Write to the local press and/or contact the TV stations, details are included in the contact list on the last page. Please send us a copy.
Sign our petition by pressing the following link http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/reading_council_for_racial_equality/
Attend a lobby of the Council on 22nd February at the Reading Civic Centre at 5.30pm on Tuesday 22nd February 2011
Please cascade the information and request for support

We plan to present our petition to the meeting of the full Council on 22^nd February.

Why the Cabinets decision is unjust and wrong

Please feel free to approach us for further details, but below are the main and false reasons for the Cabinet decision;

The RBC say that Reading has good community relations, thanks to RCRE and therefore RCRE is no longer needed.

We say that such harmonious relationships are not an accident and not a ‘tick-box’. Maintenance of harmony is a constant challenge and sends out the wrong message to those that seek to disrupt the delicate fabric of community relations. We never have and never will shy away from challenging bigoted views and extremist activity regardless.

The RBC Says that Race Awareness is well established, and effort is needed for other equality strands.

We say that support is needed for all equality strands and it is wrong to see equality work as a competition between the various strands. Money could have been taken from any of the many other sources. However, eliminating support for RCRE and dismissing the strategic and community and individual support work it has been doing as no longer needed is misguided and against the spirit of the Equality Act.

The RBC Says that RCRE only does Race Equality work

The Cabinet have been entirely misguided about this. Our strategic role covers all strands of equality and is evident in work we have done in recent years. Disability and gender issues have been high on our agenda. Also, for example, we have carried out Single Equality Scheme consultation for the South Central Ambulance Service & Thames Valley Police Authority as well as Equality Standard consultation for Thames Valley Police.

RCRE no longer does casework

This is untrue. We have helped many and continue to help hundreds of people every year. Although the Council took away £25,000 casework money from us in 2008 and gave it to the CAB, people have not stpped seeking advice and support from RCRE and we have done what we can to help them because they are not always able to access help elsewhere.

Our Mission Statement

Our mission is to create a fair, just and united community which is free from racism, discrimination, and bigotry, and gives everyone an opportunity to use (pdf) their talents for the benefit of our community as a whole.

RCRE Governance

We are a membership organoisation and therefore governed by our members. As well as up to 40 individual members, we strongly encourage membership from organisations from all sectors. It is easy to join, please download, complete and return to us an application form.

Our members elect an Executive Committee (see below) at the Annual General Meeting and this committee of Trustees directs the work of the organisation, appoints staff and takes overall responsibility for the welfare of the organisation.

Executive Committee

This consists of a Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer and 9 other elected members. The Committee co-opts 4 addtioinal members, 3 from the Reading Boroiugh Council and one other person.

Download the list of committee members