AN organisation which supports disabled people in Essex has been denied funding for a new headquarters and training centre.

Disability Essex was told to make two bids to raise money for the centre.

Rather than receiving money, however, the charity ended up spending more than £77,000 on the preparations towards bidding.

It discarded a third plan. The organisation then found it had to find £216,000 to match the amount of their European Regional Development Fund bid, in under ten days, to meet the East of England Development Agency's rules.

The development agency was criticised for its handling of the process by Billericay's MP John Baron, who described it as a "hammer blow" to an excellent hard-working organisation.

Richard Boyd, chief executive officer at the charity, said spending thousands on a bid that had no chance of success had deprived them seeking an alternative in good time.