'Attack on voluntary sector' as council cuts grants by £1m

MORE than £1 million in funding cuts for community groups and charities across Edinburgh are set to be confirmed in what has been described as "a sustained attack on the voluntary sector".

The cuts – which come as the council looks to plug a 90m black hole in its finances over the next three years – are set to be voted through at a meeting of the full council next week.

Twelve groups have had their funding entirely removed by the council, including the Scottish Child Law Centre, the Tall Oaks Youth Club and the Cavalry Park Sports Club, which is set to be awarded 1,190 to help it wind up operations over the next three months.

The Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust is set to lose all its funding, having previously been supported with grants of nearly 30,000 a year.

The cuts will also affect community associations, youth groups and voluntary centres.

The council's Labour leader, Andrew Burns, said council leader Jenny Dawe was trying to "hide behind the recession" by blaming falling income for the cutbacks.

"It is evident that there is a continued and sustained attack on the voluntary sector by the Lib Dem/SNP administration," he said.

"This is the third year of cuts forced on the sector, and it is clearly having an effect on the services available to local communities across Edinburgh. These organisations often provide a lifeline to the most vulnerable in our communities.

"Councillor Dawe needs to show real leadership and call a halt to her continued attacks on the voluntary sector and front-line services."

While the total investment of 20.65 million in community groups in 2010-11 is slightly higher than expected, it still represents a 5 per cent reduction from last year's grants of 21.77m

Cllr Dawe said: "The current economic situation means there is more demand for council and voluntary sector services, yet it also means we have less income. It's a shared problem and it needs a shared response. The fact that we have been able to face these difficult times together is a measure of how far we have come.

"We have managed to preserve funding at 95 per cent of last year's level. The taxpayers of Edinburgh would expect us to review the funding that we provide to reduce duplication and to ensure that services are efficient and provide best value for money."

Liz Stewart, fundraising manager for the Greenspace Trust, which carries out improvement projects and community events in parks and green spaces across the Lothians, said it would be extremely tough to deal with the cut.

"This will make life difficult for us," she said.

"We will need to try and work harder to raise more funding from different sources to cope with this, but I would hope we will be able to continue our work. We have a good team and we are still involved with the council on a number of projects, which I'm sure will continue."