Cameron's big society begins to crumble

The trade union-backed False Economy website found that around 2,000 charities and community groups were facing budget cuts of at least 5 per cent, with some losing their funding altogether.

False Economy researchers said that the cuts risked jeopardising entire charitable operations in some of the most deprived parts of the country.

The research is based on 265 Freedom of Information requests on the prospects for the voluntary and community sector.

Birmingham City Council topped the list as the most savage in cutting funding, leaving more than 190 organisations with reduced budgets.

This was followed by the cross-council organisation London Councils, which has cut funding to 174 groups.

The hardest hit include children's and young people charities, with more than 380 organisations hit.

Another 150 disability, 142 elderly and more than 110 adult care charities will also be affected.

The government has said that previously charities and community activity were cornerstones of the Big Society.

But a spokesman for False Economy said: "These organisations provide vital services for older people trying to maintain independent lives, vulnerable children and abused women.

"As well as the misery and distress they cause, such cuts will increase pressure on the NHS and other statutory services. They truly are a false economy."

Unions that have spearheaded cross-community campaigns to fight back locally and nationally against the government funding attack promised a robust response to the damage wreaked on working people and the vulnerable.

Unite national officer Rachael Maskell said that the union would be using a mixture of “professional and industrial” tactics to halt the attack on the sector.

“On the professional side we are looking at the impact on service users and the impact on workers. Industrially we are forging local campaigns with fund holders and local people to force changes in funding decisions."

Ms Maskell said: “The Prime Minister needs to stop banging on about his mythical Big Society and explain how he plans to fund the crumbling society. The Big Society is dead.”

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis whose union represents a huge number of voluntary and community workers unmasked the government’s true agenda.

“What this government really wants is a wholesale sell-off of public services to private companies,” he said.

And TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: “It sounds great, but in practice the Big Society is looking more and more like a big con.”

johnm@peoples-press.com