An interfaith charity has received almost £200,000 in lottery funding despite being subject to official sanctions after the JC exposed its then-officials posting images evoking the blood libel and other offensive material.
The JC can also reveal the grant to Building Bridges in Burnley (BBB) was backed by a letter from the local council which failed to declare its leader is chair of the charity.
Politicians and Jewish leaders are now calling on the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) to “wake up” and consider reallocating the money to “more deserving causes”.
The award of £185,454 is to fund a BBB plan to “explore the 25 year heritage of Building Bridges in Burnley (BBB) alongside the heritage of our Grade II listed building British Legion Club (known as Canalside)”.
BBB came under investigation by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) last year after the JC revealed two individuals who then held senior posts in the organisation had shared offensive posts on social media.
A Facebook post shared in April 2024 by the charity’s then vice-president shows a baby clad in a blue-and-white onesie with Stars of David drinking a blood-filled bottle bearing a Palestinian flag. The child is cradled by a blood-spattered Statue of Liberty.
The vice-president also shared one post of Benjamin Netanyahu morphing into Adolf Hitler, another placing the Israeli and Nazi flag side by side, and an image comparing Jewish concentration camp inmates with a West Bank checkpoint.
The JC investigation last year also revealed a then-director of the charity had reshared a post which appeared to compare Israel to Nazi Germany on Facebook. Under the heading ‘Apartheid’, the text read: “It wasn’t okay in South Africa. It wasn’t okay in Nazi Germany. Why is it okay in Palestine?”
The findings prompted the DCMS to impose sanctions requiring “Building Bridges in Burnley to ensure that both the individuals in question resign from their positions within the charity and to have no involvement with it for a period of three years” and mandating social media training for “all trustees and members”.
The JC understands BBB has already received half of the grant. It is currently advertising for jobs in support of the project on its website.
Despite the DCMS probe, the charity was allowed to keep its Kings’ Award for Voluntary Services, a decision criticised by the Conservative Party and the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC).
BBB is chaired by Afrasiab Anwar, also leader of Burnley Council. He continued to be at the head of the charity despite the DCMS probe, but there is no suggestion he personally shared any offensive content.
The JC can also reveal Burnley Council’s letter in support of the funding application did not explicitly lay out Anwar’s two roles.
Written by council chief operating officer Rob Dobson, the letter said: “The project also addresses wider priorities for Burnley: tackling social isolation, providing safe spaces for youth, supporting families, and creating an accessible venue for advice and services. Building Bridges Burnley are well-placed to deliver a project that complements the council’s plans. It is community-led, inclusive, and ambitious; it will strengthen social cohesion, celebrate heritage, and provide lasting benefit for the town.”
Labour MP for Burnley Oliver Ryan told the JC of his concern about the apparent lack of due diligence in granting the funds. He said: “The National Heritage Lottery Fund needs to wake up. I’m sad to say they appear to have done no due diligence about the leadership of this once great – now disgraced and toxic – organisation. They should look at their decision again. There are far more deserving charities in Burnley that could do transformative work with similar levels of funding.
“The Council has put its reputation on the line to secure funding for a disgraced local charity chaired by the Leader. I’m perplexed as to why Burnley Council did not make clear when it formally submitted its support for this charity, that the charity is in fact chaired by the Leader of Burnley Council.”
JLC director of public affairs Russell Langer said: “As antisemitism in Britain remains at record levels, it is more important than ever to support the work of charities which genuinely promote community cohesion and understanding.
“Given this organisation’s record, the National Lottery Heritage Fund must explain how they have seen fit to support their work.
“There are many deserving charities that have not been investigated and sanctioned by a government department over the conduct of their officials.”
Campaign group Taxpayers’ Alliance (TPA) researcher Jonathan Eida told the JC: the grant is “grotesque”, adding: “It is particularly shocking that the head of this appalling group is also the leader of Burnley council.”
Contacted by the JC, NLHF defended the funding decision, but refused to elaborate on whether it had known about the DCMS probe prior to awarding the grant. However, after “external concerns were raised about the organisation” following the funding award, they “subsequently reviewed our assessment of the application” and were “fully satisfied... all of our standard processes and that all conditions for awarding the grant continue to be met”.
NHLF awarded BBB the funding in November 2025. The DCMS probe into the organisation had been completed in April that year.
Asked about due diligence, the JC was told the NLHF “takes any allegations of antisemitism very seriously, so once a concern was raised, we investigated it promptly.”
Both Anwar and Burnley Council deny any wrongdoing.
Anwar told the JC: “My positions of Leader of Burnley Borough Council and Chair of Building Bridges in Burnley are a matter of public record. The latter is not a remunerated position. Having spoken to the responsible individual who submitted the application on behalf of the organisation I am advised that all relevant and appropriate information formed part of the submission.”
He pointed to a consultation document as part of the application which referenced to him being chair of BBB and a local councillor, but not leader of the Council.
Anwar continued: “Appearing to construct criticism (highly tenuous at best) from a letter of support (that was not provided by me) on behalf of the council, appears to be disingenuous, especially when multiple letters of support were provided by numerous organisations.” These include the University of Central Lancashire, Burnley and Pendle Methodist Circuit, and Burnley Youth Theatre.
The chair of BBB went on to say that the organisation “took all appropriate steps to safeguard the organisation” after the JC’s report last year and added that: “The individuals in question are no longer part of Building Bridges Burnley and were not part of the organisation at the time of application.
“Building Bridges in Burnley retains its King’s Award for Voluntary Service and continues to deliver fantastic work across our communities.”
Anwar has not apologised for the posts exposed by the JC but this week said: “BBB is committed to being inclusive and welcoming to people of all faiths and backgrounds. We do not condone discrimination or harmful statements of any kind, including antisemitism, Islamophobia, or racism.”
Burnley council said their letter was provided after a request by a charity’s trustees apart from Anwar, adding it was sent “several months after the resignations from the charity in light of the JC’s investigation”.
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