Croydon's Voluntary Sector Threatened - article taken from Carers Information Service newsletter 'Carers News'

Friday 17 September 2010

One of the ways Croydon Council has responded to this is to cut the Stronger Communities Fund (SCF) which funds many of the services in Croydon that benefit carers, people with disabilities and other vulnerable residents. The SCF has been reduced from £1.8 million to £625,000 per annum for the next four years. This is a cut of roughly two thirds and will have a major impact on voluntary sector organisations: as of July 2010, 41 of the 47 voluntary groups previously funded by the SCF have been told they will no longer receive funding. Some of the organisations in this situation include several Croydon Neighbourhood Care Association groups, Croydon Accessible Transport, and the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre.

Croydon Accessible Transport (CAT) makes a good case study for the impact these cuts will have on the people of Croydon. CAT received 38% of its funding from Croydon Council and this allowed CAT to offer its services at a subsidised rate – therefore making them affordable for those most in need of community transport such as people with disabilities and those on low incomes. CAT has been told that from 2011 Croydon Council will no longer fund them, and it is estimated that unless funding is reinstated CAT will be forced to close within 18 months. This will lead to reduced freedom, independence and social opportunities for vulnerable people in Croydon, and make it very difficult for other organisations that use CAT’s minibuses to provide services such as shopping buses, day trips, and bringing clients to and from events such as coffee mornings.

There are other pots of funding available to voluntary organisations, such as the Carers Grant (which funds some of our services), the allocation of which is not expected until October, but again there are concerns that the amount of money available will be considerably less than in previous years and so inevitably some services will not continue.

If a service you have used and value is under threat from Croydon Council budget cuts write to Jon Rouse (Chief Executive of Croydon Council) and Mike Fisher (Leader of the Council) and the councillor/s representing your ward to express your concern and urge them to reconsider their decisions and protect Croydon’s voluntary sector.

Jon Rouse, Chief Executive, Taberner House, Park Lane, Croydon CR9 3JS, jon.rouse@croydon.gov.uk

Mike Fisher, Leader of the Council, Town Hall, Katharine Street, Croydon CR0 1NX, mike.fisher@croydon.gov.uk

You can find details of your local councillor at www.croydon.gov.uk/democrary or by calling Croydon Council on 020 8726 6000.