‘Dismay’ as £500,000 cuts axe falls on charities and voluntary groups

Published: 3 December, 2010
by TERRY MESSENGER

TOWN Hall Labour leader Councillor Catherine West revealed her “dismay” this week at the news that hundreds of small voluntary and charitable organisations will be hit in the latest round of government spending cuts.

Cllr West spoke out in the wake of an announcement that a £500,000 government grant, which paid for frontline work among the borough’s most deprived people, will be axed next year.

She vowed to examine the council’s coffers to see whether there is any spare cash to save some of the most vulnerable organisations.

The government grant was distributed each year by the independent Islington Community Chest panel under the auspices of the borough’s biggest charity, The Cripplegate Foundation.

The fund supports advice and community support volunteers and youth clubs as well as sport, drama, gardening and pensioner organisations. In all, last year 103 groups received funding, benefiting an estimated 27,000 residents and more than 2,000 volunteers.

Cllr West said: “It is tragic that the money provided to Islington’s charities and voluntary groups through the Community Chest has been cut by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat government.  The fund helped hundreds of local charities to survive and make a difference to our community.

“We’re going to do what we can through the council to support as many organisations as possible, but the charity and voluntary sector will take a big hit from the government over the coming years.”

Cllr West broke the news that the fund was going to close at an event to celebrate the work of the Community Chest, attended by more than 200 people, in Caledonian Road last week.

She congratulated volunteers for making a “vital contribution” to Islington before telling them the bad news.

Cripplegate chief executive Kristina Glenn said: “We are determined that small groups will survive.”