Council officers ended the Kendal homeless charity's £12,000 a year grant without asking councillors. Here are the council's reasons, and how to help.
Westmorland and Furness Council has stopped funding Manna House, the Kendal charity that works to keep people off the streets. The charity used to receive £12,000 a year. The decision was taken by council officers, and no councillor was consulted.
The council set out its reasons at Cabinet in Kendal Town Hall on Tuesday 13 October. A Kendal councillor had asked why the money had gone. The answer is recorded in the draft minutes of the meeting, published this week.
Manna House is now fundraising to stay open. It says on its own Keep the Door Open page that it costs £1,000 a day to keep its doors open. On that figure, the old grant covered about 12 days a year.
What the council said
Councillor Archibald asked three questions. He said Manna House had told Kendal Town Council that week that its finances might force it to cut services. He asked why the funding was ended, whether councillors were consulted, and whether the town council was told.
The council’s leader, Cllr Jonathan Brook, declared an interest because he used to be Manna House’s chief executive. The cabinet member responsible had sent apologies. So the answer came from the council’s Director of Law and Governance.
The council’s case, from the minutes:
- The grant was a leftover. Manna House received £12,000 a year under “legacy arrangements” from South Lakeland District Council, which was abolished in 2023.
- Others were not getting the same. After reorganisation, officers reviewed legacy funding across the former districts. They found that comparable organisations elsewhere, naming Furness Homelessness Support and The Salvation Army, “did not receive equivalent funding”.
- It was extended, then contracted, then stopped. The council kept the legacy grant going while it reviewed things. It then gave Manna House contracts funded by the government’s Rough Sleeper Initiative in 2024/25 and 2025/26. The council says officers were clear these were temporary.
- The money now comes with conditions. Homelessness grants are increasingly tied to prevention, rough sleeping, supported housing and routes into settled homes, with outcome data reported to government. Officers concluded Manna House’s arrangements “could not continue in their current form”.
- A rescue bid failed. The council wrote a letter of support for Manna House’s bid to the government’s Ending Homelessness in Communities Fund. The bid was unsuccessful.
The council said ending the funding “was not a reflection on the quality or value of the service”. It said officers are still talking to the charity about its Pod, a one-person emergency night shelter, and a new government programme called Routes Off the Street.
On the other two questions, the answer to both was no. Councillors were not consulted, because the council called this “an operational decision taken by officers”. Kendal Town Council was not told either. The council said there was “no requirement to consult or formally notify” the town council.
What Manna House does
Manna House works from the Stephenson Centre on Ann Street. It describes itself as a charity “supporting homeless people and working to prevent homelessness in South Lakes”.
Its published opening times are:
| Day | What is on |
|---|---|
| Monday | Women’s group 10am to 12; rough sleeper drop-in 12 to 1.30pm; conversation cafe 1.30 to 3pm |
| Tuesday | Drop-in and lunch, 10am to 2pm |
| Wednesday | Skills cafe 10am to 12; drop-in and lunch 12 to 2pm |
| Thursday | Rough sleepers only, 1 to 2pm |
| Friday | Drop-in and lunch, 10am to 2pm |
It also runs the Pod, which has stood in the charity’s garden since 2023. A guest can stay for one to four nights while staff work on finding them somewhere more stable. The charity says a Pod stay is “the very last option”, offered only after its usual process of helping people into housing through the council and others (The Pod).
How the appeal is going
The charity’s Keep the Door Open campaign aims to keep it running into 2027. It says a £10,000 match funding offer means every donation in October and November counts twice.
On 17 October its JustGiving campaign page showed:
- £15,403.09 raised, plus £3,401.07 in Gift Aid
- 13 fundraising pages set up by supporters
The largest page belongs to Tim Farron, the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale. It had raised £10,214.72 from 336 supporters.
What it means for you
- If you need help: drop in at the Stephenson Centre, Ann Street, LA9 6AA, at the times above. The charity’s daytime number is 01539 725534.
- If you want to help: the Keep the Door Open page lists donations, regular giving through Friends of Manna House, and volunteering. Gifts made in October and November are matched.
- If you are worried about someone sleeping rough: Manna House arranges Pod stays itself. Other organisations can refer people to it, but a place is not guaranteed.
The council says it “would welcome ongoing partnership discussions” with the charity. It has not said whether any new money will follow.
More from the council chamber: the government’s decision on the Kendal relief road and our planning news.
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