Council considers £1m cuts to voluntary sector

Mari Fowler is a regular attendee of the community sessions in her area

Voluntary groups in Derbyshire say a council proposal to cut £1m of funding will end up costing the local authority more in the long-term.

The county council is consulting on ending discretionary grant funding, which will affect more than 30 groups across Derbyshire.

Mari Fowler, 85, spoke to the BBC at a befriending group in Langley Mill and said: "I'll have nowhere to go... if community places shut down."

The council said it was having to deal with "financial challenges" but no decision had yet been made.

A session where people meet to play board games aims to combat social isolation

Ms Fowler said she had been coming to sessions in her area for more than six years.

"Even though there only a few of us it’s still alive," she said.

"I’ll have nowhere to go if this shuts down or any of the community places shut down. It will put us into isolation more.”

Andy Quinn, director of Enriching Communities, said: "I’m quite surprised [at the proposals] because these services don’t cost a lot of money but the immediate benefit on local communities and people that need it are huge.

“It seems like a short-term [gain financially] but there is no long-term gain from this - it’s really sad.

“Being a part of it and knowing that people come to these things maybe once or twice a week – some have nothing else to look forward to.”

Andy Quinn said the benefits from their work outweighed the costs

Lynn McCree, chief executive of Amber Valley Centre for Voluntary Services, said if the proposals go through, they expect to lose about £55,000 in funding from the council which would have a "massive impact".

She adds they would have to look at staff hours and they may not be able to support groups in the district as much as they used to.

"The pressure that those systems are feeling are going to increase – we are that safety net for people who don’t want to access adults social care," she said.

“We’re the people and the volunteers that are with us are that direct front line delivery to feel safe, comfortable and less isolated at home."

Lynn McGree said council services will be put under more pressure as a result

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council said: “We’re currently consulting on proposals to end discretionary grant funding in March 2025 but these are proposals only and no decisions will be made until we’ve had the chance to hear what people think about them and take their views fully into account.

“Many of these organisations have been receiving grants for up to 20 years and in that time people’s aspirations have changed so it is important to get everyone’s views to ensure we’re providing services they want and need to achieve better outcomes.

"Our current financial challenges also mean it is absolutely essential that the limited funding we have available is spent wisely."

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