Charities face closures as local authorities slash funding, making the delivery of community projects somewhere between hard and impossible.
‘Acevo (the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations) had already shown that the sector will lose £750 million this year if central and local government passed on cuts proportionately.’ Guardian Tuesday 2nd August 2011.
Research from False Economy shows that more than 2000 charities face cuts. Zoe Williams in the Guardian, Thurs 4th August 2011 says that ‘…philanthrocapitalism often looks a lot more like capitalism than it does philanthropy.’
Our partnership work is very much at the ground level; working with people in communities, the centres, the staff, the volunteers and children and families. There’s a lot of resilience and a feeling that although funding and support from the last few good years is coming to an end it doesn’t have to signify a finality to all the good work and the spirit of the community.
The problems have not gone away, they are now papered over or simply removed from the political agenda.
But community development is more than just provision of economic funding; social wealth, creative wealth and spirit of support remain.
There are ways through hard times, social enterprise being one, allowing you to be in charge of your own destiny and economic sustainability is a very powerful opportunity for good.
(Image courtesy of Ridgeway Park Children Centre )
SmithMartin Partnership LLP
Bringing communities together