Sandwell’s Funding Mystery Machine: Scooby-Doo Meets the Consortium
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when public money, political convenience, and a voluntary-sector “ecosystem” get thrown together in a blender, welcome to Sandwell — where transparency goes to die and paperwork goes to hide under the nearest Cabinet report.
And if you haven’t wondered:
That’s fine too, the Council tends to prefer it that way.
“And I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn’t for those pesky KPIs!”
Let’s begin with the headline act:
Sandwell Consortium CIC — the Council’s most expensive mystery box.
Over £1.66 million channelled through it in two years and:
- No KPIs - Key Performance Indicators
- No outputs
- No measurable results
- Duplicate funding descriptions
- Councillor-linked organisations woven throughout
- And governance held together by one individual director
Honestly, it’s almost artistic at this point. Abstract governance.
Meanwhile in Tipton… BWA’s bank balance sparkles like a dragon’s hoard
The Bangladeshi Women’s Association — though not a major direct recipient of Council grants — operates two community centres and still manages to maintain:
£328,873 in cash
£322,465 in total reserves
Who knew community work could be so… liquid?
And while they operate across two separate Tipton sites, their accounts provide zero centre-level breakdown.
It’s like “Guess Who?” but with financial reporting.
- Does Jubilee Park cost more?
- Does Tipton Muslim Community Centre cost less?
- Is one subsidising the other?
We don’t know.
Because they don’t say.
Plot twist: We asked the CEO… and the questions weren’t answered
In the spirit of openness, transparency, and general good governance, reasonable questions were put to Cllr Khatun, BWA’s CEO.
And in the spirit of Sandwell’s traditional response to oversight:
- The questions were not answered
- No information was provided
- The silence was so complete it could be used as soundproofing
Nothing says “confidence-building governance” like unanswered questions.
Back to the Consortium: where sunlight fears to shine
As a reminder:
- £1.66 million given
- No KPIs
- No published outcomes
- No commissioning rationale
- Councillor-linked organisations on the board
- A former senior council officer as the sole individual director
It's like someone tried to build a governance model using a Ouija board.
Follow the Money? Follow the Guesswork.
Trying to understand Sandwell’s funding flows is like trying to assemble flat-pack furniture without instructions:
- You’re definitely missing pieces
- Something’s upside down
- Someone insists it’s “fine”
- And by the end you’ve lost all faith in humanity
Updated List of Reasonable Questions Sandwell Residents Might Ask
- Why are six-figure grants being issued without KPIs or impact reporting?
- Why is a single individual director overseeing a multi-million-pound funding gateway?
- Why is BWA holding £328k cash while providing no centre-level accounts?
- Why do councillors connected to the ecosystem take part in shaping the funding environment?
- Why did the CEO of BWA not answer the questions that were put to her?
- Why is competitive commissioning avoided like radioactive waste?
The uncomfortable conclusion…
Sandwell’s voluntary-sector funding system isn’t an accident.
It’s a design:
- opaque
- interconnected
- conflict-prone
- unmeasured
- and largely unscrutinised
If this were an episode of Scooby-Doo, the unmasking would reveal:
“We’d have gotten away with it too, if people didn’t insist on asking basic questions.”
#Sandwell #Transparency #LocalGov #Governance #PublicMoney #Scrutiny #PoliticalAccountability #Tipton #CommunityFunding
Legal Notice & Disclaimer
This blog is based solely on publicly available documentation including Companies House filings and SMBC financial data.
All commentary is opinion, analysis and satire made in the public interest.
No allegations of wrongdoing are made.
Readers are encouraged to verify all financial information using original source documents.
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