12 June 2013
Nearly three quarters (72%) of voters do not want councillors to
cut funding to charities by more than they cut other services,
according to a survey released today.
The survey, released by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) which
promotes charitable giving and provides financial services and
social finance to not-for-profit organisations, follows research
which found that as many as half of all local councils have cut
funding to charities by a greater proportion than the overall cuts
to their budget.
More than two thirds (69%) of people fear that local communities
will suffer if charity funding is cut by councils and two thirds
(66%) of those polled are worried that cuts to charities will
personally affect them in the future.
The survey found that 73% of the public think charities do
valuable work in their local area and more than three quarters of
people (77%) believe that charities are well placed to deliver
local services due to their not-for-profit status.
Only a quarter (25%) of those interviewed think the government
is doing enough to support charities in these tough economic
times.
CAF is leading the Back Britain’s Charities
campaign, which is calling on councillors to ensure that charities
do not face disproportionate cuts. A number of councillors from all
parties have already pledged to help ensure charities do not face
deeper cuts than other local services.
CAF hosted an event at the House of Commons this week (June 10)
to highlight the vital work charities do in local communities up
and down the country and to discuss the impact that cuts to
charities are having in more detail.
Across the UK, charities do a huge amount of vital work in
partnership with local government. Their work includes providing
care and support for elderly people, helping work those with mental
health issues or disabilities, running youth clubs and helping
people with housing. Councils help fund charities’ work by
offering grants, but also by giving them contracts to run some
local services.
But fewer than one in three people polled (29%) were aware that
charities can be funded through payments from government for
providing services.
John Low, Chief Executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, said:
“Charities play an essential role in our communities and do an
excellent job providing services for local government.
“We understand that there are financial constraints on public
spending at all levels, but it’s clear that people do not want
charities to face more than their fair share of cuts. It is for
this reason that we are calling on councillors to listen to their
constituents and Back Britain’s Charities.
“We often take for granted many of the services these charities
provide, but they offer invaluable support to some of the most
vulnerable people in our communities. In these tough economic
times, many of these services are facing even greater demand and
charities are struggling to do more with less, without having their
funding disproportionally cut by local authorities. “
ComRes surveyed 2012 British adults across the UK from 26th
April to 28th April 2013. ComRes is a member of the British Polling
Council and abides by its rules.
Full data tables can be found at www.comres.co.uk
Compact Voice released
a report in Dec 2012 suggesting that half of local authorities
are cutting grant funding to the voluntary sector
disproportionately.
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