VONNE

Media Enquiries

This page contains our latest news releases and media contacts.

Contact for media enquiries

Carrie Brookes, Communications Manager - 0191 233 2000, 0758 1425753 or carrie.brookes@vonne.org.uk

News releases

Cuts force North East charities to close

1st September 2011

CHARITIES and voluntary groups across the North East are facing closure according to a report out today (1^st September).

Demand for help is soaring as organisations are facing closure says the largest survey into the impact of the economic downturn on the North East’s voluntary and community sector.

At a time when almost two thirds of voluntary groups are reporting a rise in demand for services, 73% have seen a decrease in funding, as public sector agencies have their budgets slashed. 40% have lost staff and 64% are using their reserves, which is double the amount reported in November 2009.

81% received grants from the public sector. With the region’s councils facing massive budget cuts many groups are finding their funding drastically reduced or pulled altogether.

The future looks bleak for many of the region’s charities with almost half expecting to close a service and a shocking quarter reporting they may close in the next 12 months.

120 organisations replied to the survey and reported a total of:

£4.5m in lost income last year,
at least 275 staff made redundant, and
potentially will make another 171 staff redundant.

Jo Curry, Chief executive of VONNE, the North East voluntary sector support body, says the lack of help for some of the North East’s most important institutions was a “scandal”.

She added: “In the grand scheme of things I couldn’t care less whether the Government reboots or retreats from Big Society. I do care that communities are losing hope, and that marginalised individuals will suffer as services are withdrawn and charities close. We must stop this from happening.”

She has called for councils to do more to work with charities to find ways to preserve services and to only cut a service once the full impact on a neighbourhood or group is known.

>">Read report >>

North East Charities tell Government to do more for good causes

14th June 2011

CHARITY bosses have warned a £4m Government handout could end up as "a bridge to nowhere" unless it is backed with long-term support.

The Cabinet Office yesterday announced it was handing out £4.3m to 43 North East charities to help them survive the public spending cuts.

The funding is designed to help charities which are most vulnerable to public spending cuts prepare for what the Cabinet Office says are "new opportunities being created through the Government's support for a Big Society".

Much of the cash will be used to help charities build new business models to try to secure alternative funding sources.

Last night the region's leading charity group, the Voluntary Organisations' Network North East, said the cash was helpful but called for help in providing greater financial security.

Chief executive Jo Curry said the group had lobbied for the Cabinet Office's transition funding to be made available. She said: "It is brilliant news that over £4m of transition funding will go to North East charities. This reflects the fact that charities in the region receive almost half of their income from the public sector and have therefore been hit hard by public sector spending cuts.

"While transition money is greatly welcomed, the perception that if charities could just modernise and be a bit more commercially astute then their problems would be solved is not.

"The fact remains that in many cases charities support people that do not pay directly for their services. If services to the most vulnerable are to continue then they need to be paid for.

"We need to have a serious think about what services we want, what services we need, who should provide them and how we as a society should pay for them. Without that this transition money could end up being a £4.3m bridge to nowhere."

Bleak future for North East charities

16th December 2010

CHARITIES and voluntary groups across the North East are facing closure according to a report out today (16^th December).

Dealing with the deficit by delivering destitution?

20th October 2010

Charities and Voluntary groups are predicting a huge rise in demand for their services following the Chancellors announcement today of his plans to get to grips with the deficit. The additional £7billion off welfare benefits on top of the £11 billion already announced will hit the poorest and they will look to voluntary groups for help.

Jo Curry, Chief Executive of the Voluntary Organisations' Network North East commented "this increased demand for services comes at a time when Voluntary Sector organisations are themselves set to lose funding, as VONNE research shows that the majority are reliant on grants from local authorities."

VONNE welcomed the Governments response to our calls for a Transition Fund of £100 million, and will be working hard to ensure that charities and voluntary organisations in the region receive their fair share, particularly as the North East will bear the biggest brunt of public sector job losses and cuts to welfare spending.

Charities welcome Cameron's Big Society but warn vision at risk of cuts

6th October 2010

VONNE welcomes David Cameron's speech today with a call to action to the country but warns that his vision of a Big Society is at risk if charities lose public funding.

Jo Curry said: "We welcome the call to voluntary action in today's speech. The voluntary and community sector is central to the idea of Big Society and we welcome helping deliver this vision. We have a strong and vibrant sector here in the North East. However it is at serious risk of due to public sector cuts."

Charities reeling at loss of funding to the region

24th September 2010

VONNE expresses shock at what will be a huge blow to the third sector in the cuts announced today by One North East.

Jo Curry, Chief Executive of VONNE said:

"The cuts of 86% of funding are totally disproportionate to our sector. The charities, voluntary and community groups helping those most disadvantaged and furthest away from the labour market will not now receive the promised £1.3 million that was earmarked for the sector. With 25% of homes having no-one working in them in the North East, this is not the time to be making cuts to those organisations trying to help these people back into work."

It was announced today that the Third Sector Capacity Fund is being cut from £1.5m to 200k. Previous projects this fund has financed include Contract Matters which helped third sector organisations bid for contracts helping get long-term unemployed back into work. The award winning organisation Keyfund is another previously funded project which enabled thousands of young people from across the North East to fulfil their potential and contribute to the economic development of the region.

Jo Curry added:

"The bigger picture of course is that the Government has withdrawn £32.9 million worth of funding from the region. Dress it up as "cutting a quango" if you like, but that money was aimed at creating businesses, creating jobs and getting people into work. This is a sad day for the voluntary sector, but it is an even bigger blow to those people in the region that are hoping to find work in the North East."

VONNE will of course be lobbying One North East to think again about the 86% cut to the fund which is totally disproportionate in nature and was made without consultation with the sector.

Third Sector Capacity Fund