The Jubilee Waterside Centre in the London Borough of Camden had its council grant slashed from 64,000 in 2005-06 to 16,000 in 2006-07, and will receive nothing in the next year.
Martin Shaw, chair of trustees at the centre, said: "The council has been funding us for about 28 years. It was a reasonable expectation that it would continue." Shaw said the centre, which relies on a team of about 20 part-time freelancers and seven full-time workers, needs 30,000-50,000 immediately to pay staff wages and bills.
Between 600 and 800 young people use the centre each week. Camden Council, which owns the freehold to the centre, issued a statement criticising it for not opening in the evenings and weekends, and for its financial efficiency and marketing. The statement said: "We don't want to lose this community resource. However, we cannot continue to step in each time the centre is in difficulty."
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