Grants for London children's' services under threat

Services supporting some of London’s most vulnerable children are being targeted for cuts after the Association of London Government Grants Executive declared that they were ‘not a priority’ for grant funding.

The decision, which will now be referred to the Association of London Government Leaders Committee later next month, has been condemned by the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone. Elizabeth Balgobin, Chief Executive of the London Voluntary Service Council, said her organisation was ‘very concerned’ about what was happening.

Among the services threatened after being determined ‘not a priority’ are risk-reduction interventions for children and young people involved in or at risk of sexual exploitation; reducing the involvement of young people in violent crime (particularly the prevention of involvement in gang culture, knife and gun crime); support for women and children affected by domestic violence through the provision of independent advocacy; and support for increased play and physical activity for children.

Ken Livingstone said: ‘London-wide services for children are now under threat from the cuts agenda being promoted by the leadership of the boroughs.

‘There is absolutely no need to cut the grants budget and no logic to cutting grants across the capital to organisations that help many of London’s most vulnerable children.

‘I reiterate my commitment that if the government passes control of these grants to my office, there will be no cut to the grants budget.

‘The cuts agenda being promoted by the Association of London Government and in some London boroughs will meet stiff opposition from my office and by Londoners affected by these attacks.’

Elizabeth Balgobin, Chief Executive of London Voluntary Service Council said:

‘London Voluntary Service Council is very concerned about the Association of London Government  proposed funding priority list, which includes cutting other vital service areas such as domestic violence advocacy and Black Minority Ethnic and Refugee cultural activities.

‘London Voluntary Service Council supports the successful Voluntary Sector Forum campaign in calling for no cut to the existing grant levels and demands a transparent and rational process for reaching decisions on what should and should not be funded, wherever the fund is hosted.

‘We accept that funds are not limitless but the criteria by which decisions were made to support some service areas and not others, specifically women and children, are unclear.  Much of the voluntary and community sector exists to support children and young people, and while it does seem that the Association of London Government members recognise their responsibilities at a local level on Every Child Matters, this is not the case for London as a whole and those who fall through the cracks in society.’

In addition to services for children, other areas deemed ‘not a priority’ include access to cultural activities by black, Asian, minority ethnic and refugee communities; information, advice and training to improve health and safety in the workplace; help for carers; and the promotion of sustainable forms of transport such as cycling.

But it is services for London’s children that form the main bulk of the planned cuts. The Association of London Government funds sixty-eight voluntary groups who provide vital services for children across London.

The Executive of the Grants Committee met on September 5th and agreed a set of services that were considered ‘not a priority’ for Association of London Government funding.

The Association of London Government’s discussion comes in the light of plans to reduce the Association of London Government Grants scheme’s effectiveness by reallocating money for grants back to London boroughs with no guarantee of ring-fencing the resources for grants, therefore threatening significant cuts and undermining the strategic remit of the committee.

Until its abolition in 1986 the London-wide grants role was carried out by the Greater London Council.

Ends

Press release issued: September 25 2006