Jobs threat in charity’s plans

A charity which provides office space for new businesses is undergoing a corporate restructure, putting a handful of Kent jobs at risk.

The Enterprise Foundation, which has offices in Maidstone and Folkestone, has sent letters to tenants saying directors are proposing a creditors’ voluntary liquidation.

The charity is proposing the closure of sites in Leeds and Birmingham. It plans to continue running centres in the county as standalone entities after the charity is broken up.

It launched in Maidstone in February 2014, taking over the refurbished first floor of the HM Passport and HMRC offices in Mote Road.

The £90,000 revamp provides offices for a variety of businesses, which remain inside the Enterprise Centre, which has two direct employees and a board of three directors and trustees.

Director Wayne Wright said: “The foundation will not be completely disbanded but some sites will be closed down. Maidstone will be stripped out of the [Enterprise Foundation] entity.

“It’s a difficult situation which we are not happy with. We have invested a lot of capital into this project and we now want to take it a different way.”