The group said the centre had been used by about 400,000 people since it became independent
A Leicester community group has said it has been unfairly targeted after being told its funding will stop.
Highfields Community Association, which runs the Highfields Centre, is to lose nearly £300,000.
The group said the building in Melbourne Road was well used.
But city mayor Peter Soulsby has rejected this, insisting the group had not made best use of the building and was financially irresponsible.
Large cheque
Five years ago the city council agreed to the Highfields Community centre - which provides a wide range of services for people living in the area - being independently run.
However, the authority still provided £293,000 a year while it worked to become "self-sustaining".
Now Mr Soulsby has announced funding will stop for a number of reasons, including lack of a business plan and the centre being "significantly under-used".
He said: "In all my years of experience of working with the council and in local government this has been the most difficult group I have ever experienced.
"They really haven't wanted to enter into any sensible discussion with us, behaving as if they have a right to be given this very large cheque and allowed to spend it however they wish."
No consultation
Head of the centre, Priya Thamotheran, said the centre had seen over 400,000 users in the past four years and insisted the funding cut was unfair.
"The decision has been taken without any consultation. There have been negotiations that have been ongoing for the past 18 months and it appears the city mayor has now decided to act without any further conversations.
"For the past seven to eight months we have had no direct meeting with the city mayor. We would welcome the opportunity to talk through what may have been misunderstandings."
