A RACIAL equality council faces having to close because of a £50,000 shortfall.

The Bromley Racial Equality Council, based in Penge High Street, did not receive funding from the Equality and Human Rights Commission in March.

Now the charity's director, Ali Jafarey, believes it could close by the end of June due to a cash shortage.

He said: "We must stress the Bromley Racial Equality Council is in danger of imminent closure.

"It would be a huge loss to the areas we serve, specifically the people of Bromley.

He added: "It has taken a long time, and a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get this organisation up and running.

"To lose it in one fell swoop because of this situation would be a real shame.

"To get an organisation like this back onto the landscape would be virtually impossible."

The charity was launched in 1990 and began to take on full-time staff over the past six years after receiving grants from the Commission for Racial Equality.

These usually ranged between £20,000 and £30,000.

The commission was replaced by the Equality and Human Rights Commission in October last year - after which the Bromley Racial Equality Council missed out on further funding.

Around the same time, the council also missed out on a grant from the National Lottery.

Mr Jafarey, 44, said: "These were two huge applications which took a long time to get the details together."

The racial equality council advises local government departments and help in neighbourhood disputes, unfair dismissals and community projects.

Mr Jafarey added: "Over the years we have helped thousands of people directly and made a huge difference to the lives of individual who have been victims of racial harassment and discrimination."

The next round of grants will be made in March next year and the racial equality council needs £50,000 to keep going until then.

A spokesman for the Equality and Human Rights Commission said: "Unfortunately not all applications for grants were successful.

"We have strict criteria and assessment procedures, and not all applicants met these requirements."

If you can help, call Mr Jafarey on 020 8776 8638.