Last updated on September 13, 2025
Caught in 4K: CEO Denies Public Funding, Newcastle Council’s 2025 Docs Say Otherwise
In July, The Recruitment Junction’s CEO stated the charity was “in receipt of no public funding.” Newcastle City Council’s 2025 paperwork says otherwise, and loudly. Below are the receipts: a signed grant acceptance (Round 14) and a 2025 monitoring and impact report thanking funders. You cannot square both. Pick a reality. And this is only the start, more will follow.
The Claim vs. The Evidence (Side by Side)
Full documents: R14 NF Small Grants Monitoring Form – Impact Report (PDF) • Confirmation of Acceptance of Grant Award (PDF)
What the 2025 Documents Actually Show
- Grant Acceptance (Round 14, Newcastle Fund): TRJ signs for a £5,000 small grant in 2025, with conditions and reporting dates attached.
- Impact and Monitoring Report (18 July 2025): Just 11 days after TRJ abruptly withdrew support from me (7 July 2025), and only a week after Beverley Brooks told me in writing that the charity receives “no public funding” (11 July 2025), TRJ submitted this monitoring report to Newcastle City Council. In it, they explicitly acknowledge that “none of this would be possible without the support of our funders.”
- Context from FOI 24689 (NCC): Itemised payments to TRJ total £134,272.06 since 2021 across CLLD and the Newcastle Fund.
Newcastle City Council FOI return confirms £134k+ awarded — breaking six figures.
In short: the organisation was publicly funded in 2025, and their own reporting (dated 18 July 2025) thanks those funders. That cannot coexist with “we receive no public funding.” The contradiction is not historic, it was live and within days of their denial.
Why This Matters (Beyond the Gotcha)
As we said in our earlier piece, facts are not hostile. They are just inconvenient for people who do not like them. This article is a follow up to our initial fact check: “Fact check: Does The Recruitment Junction receive public funding?”
This is not the end of the story. More disclosures and documents will follow, and each will build a clearer picture of how public money has been handled.
Governance 101 (Forward Looking)
- Correct the record: Trustees should publish a clear funding statement for recent years.
- Re align practice and policy: Monitoring and equality commitments must be reflected in day to day decisions affecting disabled service users.
- Preserve documents: Hold notices over emails, minutes, monitoring submissions, and correspondence. These are the basics of accountability.
Source Documents
- Confirmation of Acceptance of Grant Award (PDF)
- R14 NF Small Grants Monitoring Form – Impact Report (PDF)
- Follow up context: our earlier fact check
If you have information that adds context or corrects a point, contact [email protected]. We correct fast and transparently.
Disclaimer: This article reflects our good faith analysis of documents released by Newcastle City Council and TRJ’s own reports. It is not legal advice.
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