Guidance aims to protect charity funding
Charities
6th September 2011
New guidance has been published for local councils aimed at safeguarding voluntary and community organisations from disproportionate funding cuts.
Unveiled by communities secretary Eric Pickles, the Whitehall advice for authorities outlines ways in which greater support could be provided to charities.
He pointed out that such bodies provide services to the most vulnerable people in their areas and this provision should be protected rather than removed, with all decisions to reduce support carefully examined and discussed with users.
Mr Pickles also wants to reduce the burden of red tape faced by local authorities in order to ensure they can meet the needs of residents.
He declared: "I'm not asking councils to do anything that I wouldn't do myself, so all central government departments are now signed up to these fair new standards."
Reductions in funding from councils could result in some groups with a UK insurance policy experiencing difficulties and such organisations are also advised that the Chartered Institute of Taxation has questioned whether a planned system to encourage people to leave money to charity in their wills would work.
According to the body, the proposal has "fundamental defects" and is "unnecessarily complex", which could act as a disincentive towards lifetime giving.
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