Small charities bear the brunt of cuts despite big society pledge

9 August 2010 2 mins read Ross Watson Early Years Youth Work

The government's big society vision will collapse if the scale of council funding cuts to small charities under way in some areas is replicated nationwide, sector figures have warned.

Prime Minister David Cameron launched his vision for the big society last month, saying the drive to empower local communities is his "great passion".

But councils including Croydon, Greenwich and Lambeth are already slashing funding to small community groups by up to 66 per cent.

CYP Now has also learned that Home-Start, the family support charity that provides home support and advice to struggling parents of under-fives, is being affected. The charity recruits about 5,000 new volunteers each year, but Home-Start UK chief executive Kay Bews said some of the 340 local Home-Start services, which each exist as small independent charities, face "dire financial circumstances".

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