A significant reduction in community funding in Edinburgh will affect thousands of families and could result in organisations closing
Funding cuts to vital community grants in Edinburgh could lead to a significant drop in services, a coalition of charities has warned.
The City of Edinburgh Council has proposed a reduction of £1.25 million to its Communities and Families Main Grant Programme over the next three years.
However the Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council (EVOC) has warned the cuts, which it says amounts to 35% of the programme, will have a huge impact on many families in the Capital.
In a letter to councillors - backed by 68 members of EVOC’s young people and families network - the organisation’s chief executive Ella Simpson has called for the proposed cuts to be halted.
She said: “A loss of the preventative, early intervention services provided by these organisations will have a significant impact on children, young people and their families in Edinburgh, not least for those children and young people on the edges of care.
“In light of the recommendations following the 2016-19 Children and Families Grant process we are particularly disappointed at the lack of communication with the sector as regards this proposal.”
Services delivered by the funding include support for disabled children, volunteering and youth work opportunities for youngsters, and community food projects.
EVOC has quizzed its members on what effect losing the funding could have, with 22 organisations responding. All those who took part said losing the funding would mean projects would have to be closed or significantly reduced, with six charities at risk of closing down completely. It is estimated that as many as 7,000 young people and 1,800 families could be affected.
Simpson warned: “We are gravely concerned that this will pose a loss of a significant number of services for thousands of children, young people and families in Edinburgh.
“EVOC has collected evidence from organisations currently receiving Communities and Families Grant funding, to quantify the impacts of these cuts. This is not intended as an in-depth analysis, nor can we predict which organisations would lose funding, however it is a powerful demonstration of the scale of risk associated with such a cut.”
TFN has contacted The City of Edinburgh Council for comment.
