- Conference
- 2022 Community Conference and Seminar
- Date
- 24 November 2021
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes the publication in July 2021 of the Oxford Consultants for Social Inclusion (OCSI) research submitted to the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Left Behind Neighbourhoods which outlines that those who live in 225 “left behind” neighbourhoods in England receive less than half the charitable grant funding than other deprived places.
In this research neighbourhoods are classified as “left behind” when they fall within the most deprived 10% of areas on the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) and also lack social infrastructure, such as community centres. These areas are predominantly located near the coast and on the outskirts of post-industrial towns and cities in the North and Midlands.
Conference further notes that during Covid-19 the emergency £5m Charities Aid Foundation fund for small organisations was forced to close within days after receiving grant applications that totalled more than £40m. A snap poll in May 2021 from think tank Pro Bono Economics reported that more than one in 10 small voluntary sector organisations feared they would cease to operate. Conference also notes that the Budget contained no additional funding at all, and that Pro Bono Economics analysis in October 2021 shows that if giving by the public tracks consumption, as is the usual pattern in normal times, total funding for charitable organisations is likely to be £6.6bn lower over the years 2020-2023 than if COVID had not occurred.
They also found that although the positive signs in wider society had translated into increased optimism about the future for many charities, most charities still faced a growing demand for their services and staff challenges brought on by the ‘pingdemic’ with 66% of charities reporting a significant growth in demand for their support and services between April and June 2021.
A report from small charities funder the Lloyds Bank Foundation entitled “Small Charities Responding to Covid-19”, similarly found that no charity funded by the foundation during the pandemic had shut down services, instead evolving their methods of support with minimal disruption.
A summary report published in February 2021 “The Value of Small in a Big Crisis”, further highlighted the agility of the small charities sector in digitally supporting service users and playing a key role in local economies and supply chains during the crisis.
As we emerge from the pandemic, we are seeing a mixed picture relating to the health of the charitable and voluntary sector for a variety of factors, with varied impacts on the terms and conditions of members working in the sector.
As a recent Demos report on “The Covid -19 Impact on the Charitable Sector” outlines, “. . . we need to take stock and place the charitable sector on a more sustainable footing.
This comes from within, through learning lessons around digital delivery and fundraising, remote working and diversifying fundraising strategies, and from without – through grant funders and the Government supporting these endeavours with targeted resources.”
Conference believes that charities, large and small, are the life-blood of a functioning civil society and that during the Covid-19 pandemic it is these institutions which have augmented and frequently filled the gaps in statutory service provision.
Conference further believes that in order to maintain crucial services charities and the voluntary sector need to invest in their staff – through good terms and conditions and appropriate remuneration. Developing our presence and reach as a union within the sector is pivotal to achieving this.
Conference calls on the Community Service Group Executive to:
a) Work with the NEC, service groups, Labour Link and other stakeholders including by lobbying political parties in positions of power and influence in Scotland, Cymru/Wales and Northern Ireland to continue to highlight the funding crisis within the charitable sector and the impact this has on society and statutory services.
b) Utilise all appropriate media to highlight the work of our members in the charitable sector and the valuable work they do in creating and developing community cohesion.