Paul Finch says former national design quango secure for next financial year with funding shortfall made up by local authority contracts

Paul Finch, Cabe, 226

Paul Finch

The deputy chairman of the Design Council has dismissed suggestions that Cabe, its built environment division, is unlikely to survive.

Last week, Building reported criticism from Nahid Majid, former Cabe director, whose post was unexpectedly cut at the end of last month.

Majid questioned the move and whether the former national design quango – which merged with charity the Design Council in 2011 – has a future.

Cabe’s funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government ends next March.

However, deputy chairman Paul Finch said reports predicting the death of Cabe had been greatly exaggerated.

“I’m confident that we will certainly see out our next financial year - April 2013 to April 2014,” he said.

Finch added that the funding shortfall would be filled by establishing contracts for design review and design enabling with local authorities.

“We’ve had quite a cool look at it and we think this will fill the gap,” he said.