THE Prime Minister has been asked to step in after an organisation set up to help pensioners and benefit claimants failed to get a £20,000 grant.

Simon Collyer, of the Association of Pensions and Benefits Claimants, applied for the enterprise grant from Colchester Council to help fund a TV project in conjunction with Colchester Insitute.

He has now written to David Cameron to challenge the way small organisations like his obtain grants.

He criticised schemes whereby organisations have to fund the work themselves before receiving the money.

Mr Collyer said his community interest company had been forced to turn downanumber of grants as it was unable to fund the project in advance.

He said: “More help should be given. We can’t employ people until we get grants.

“Why don’t they give other people a chance? The £20,000 would have really helped us. We would have got all we needed for equipment and offices and some running money.

“We want to give young people a chance in media and start this TV programme – Work TV.”

Mr Collyer has also criticised Colchester Council for giving a grant to the Colchester Business Enterprise Agency, a notfor-profit organisation, which leases office space owned by the council.

He claimed this effectively meant Colchester Council was awarding grants to itself.

Now he has turned down a prize for reaching the last 100 in the Essex Big Business Boost competition, sponsored by Colbea.

Bill Frame, Colchester councillor responsible for economic growth and development, said: “The Enterprise, Skills and Employment Grant has a clear and transparent competitive application process. Grants are open to all eligible organisations and are given to those that can deliver the best possible value and impact for both the council and the community by matching the criteria.

“Business start-up advice is a vital part of entrepreneurialism and the grant funding awarded to Colbea in 2015/2016 will specifically deliver key projects around this.”

Bob Baggalley, Colbea chief executive, said: “Both the Central Colchester Business Incubation Centre and North Colchester Business Incubation Centre are run by Colbea on a break-even basis with the rent we receive from our small business tenants calculated to cover the building facilities and incubation support costs incurred.

“This is not a commercial model and we’re not a commercial landlord.

“Any small surpluses that are generated are reinvested in improving the properties.

“In the delivery of our business support services, all of our funding from the council, whether it’s at local or county level, is awarded by a bidding process for delivery of support services against targeted outputs.

“These bids are costed on a breakeven basis and there is no profit margin. We rely on our sponsors and supporters from the local business community to provide funding in addition to that we receive from the council to help pay for our support services, which are usually supplied to clients at no charge.”