Statement on the City Council Budget Cuts from the Voluntary and Community Sector

This statement was agreed at an Emergency Voluntary Sector Assembly held on 11 December 2014.

We, the voluntary and community sector of Manchester, are proud of our long history in the city. We will continue to campaign for equality and justice, to advocate the needs of the poorest and most disadvantaged and to support those that are discriminated against to advocate for themselves. We will continue to provide advice, support and assistance to the many geographical communities and communities of interest and identity that make up the increasingly diverse city of Manchester. We will continue to be creative and innovative and find new ways of responding to need and in helping people in Manchester to thrive and prosper.

We greatly value the support that Manchester City Council gives to us through grants and contracts. It is a hugely important part of our funding. However, year after year of cuts and the steady depletion of reserves has left many organisations in a critical state. Some of our key voluntary and community sector organisations are at breaking point.

We oppose the cuts and share the anger of councillors at the unfair and disproportionate cuts to public budgets that Manchester faces. We offer our support in challenging Central Government.

We believe that cuts to voluntary and community sector groups are a false economy that will cost the city and the people far more than they save. We bring in from external sources at a minimum twice as much funding as we receive from the Council. We play the key role in maximising the income of the poorest. We work with many of the people with the most complex needs in the city. We play a huge role in prevention, saving costs to more expensive statutory services.

We acknowledge that Manchester has had considerable economic success, but the benefits have not been shared with the poorest and most disadvantaged. We are one of the most unequal cities in the country with chronically high levels of deprivation. We need to invest more in our communities and in the people who live in the city and regain a vision of Manchester as the Compassionate City.

We ask you to:
• Prioritise funding the voluntary and community sector because of the huge extra value we bring to the city and look again at other options.
• Use the £11m windfall that Manchester City Council has received from Manchester Airports Group to maintain funding of the voluntary and community sector.
• To demonstrate civic leadership through reducing the pay differential within the Council by reducing the salaries of the most highly paid officers.
• Convene a meeting between councillors, other key stakeholders and the voluntary and community sector to discuss the statement.

Further information
• Voluntary Sector Assembly homepage
• Voluntary Sector Cuts – updates and resources for local groups

Macc, Swan Buildings, 20 Swan Street, Manchester M4 5JW
0161 834 9823
[email protected]