An additional £43 million is to be invested across the UK to tackle the longer-term effects of the recession on communities. BIG is working closely with stakeholders to determine what form the support will take, but it is thought it could include targeted funding for specific services such as debt advice and support to help train increasing numbers of volunteers.
Responding to the increasing pressure facing the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS), BIG has also increased the budgets of some of its most popular funding programmes by around £45million, helping get funding fast to where VCS voices say it is needed most.
Local charitable causes are already seeing a sharp rise in demand for its services since the recession began. Projects in the region that have already received funding from the Big Lottery Fund include the Lincoln branch of the Citizen’s Advice Bureau who have been awarded £683,000 through BIG’s Reaching Communities and Advice Plus programmes.
The organisation runs a telephone advice service, providing information and support to help people cope with economic difficulties. Funding from BIG has enabled them to extend the service they offer and reach a greater number of people by training more volunteers and recruiting outreach workers to run a drop-in service in disadvantaged areas of the city.
Bureau Manager, Roy Trotter, said:
“With the funding from the Big Lottery Fund, we wanted to help 1000 people over five years. Such is the demand, however, that we’ve already seen half that number over two years, including 300 this year alone.
“We aim to help when people face challenges such as unemployment and redundancy – which can in turn lead to other issues including debt, housing problems and relationship breakdown. In the current economic climate we take the advice to where it is most needed, so the funding is making a world of difference to people’s lives.”
Mick McGrath, Big Lottery Fund Head of Region for the East Midlands, said:
“BIG is very aware of the tough times communities in the region are experiencing and the increased demand this is inevitably placing on the voluntary and charitable sector. The full impact of the recession on communities is still working its way through, impacting on homes across the nation, bringing family breakdown, mental illness, unemployment and personal debt.
“By channelling more money through our existing funding streams, we can respond immediately to the increasing demand from local groups and organisations coping with the crunch.”
Additional funding includes a £20 million increase in Reaching Communities (England), a programme through which VCS organisations can access up to £500,000 for up to five years. A £7.2 million boost to the BASIS programme will also help build capacity in the sector.
Today’s investment responds to evidence from voluntary sector bodies that the recession is putting severe pressure on the UK’s voluntary and community groups. According to research compiled by NAVCA, the national voice of local third sector infrastructure in England, demand for services is up 30-50 per cent in some geographical areas - and resources, such as income and staff, are under strain.
The investment has also been informed by BIG’s recent consultation, Big thinking, which asked the public how BIG’s estimated budget for new funding programmes of around £2.8 billion should be spent over the next six years [between 2009-2015]. Big thinking attracted around 3,500 online survey responses and involved a further 3,000 people at events across the UK.
Sir Clive Booth, Chair of the BIG Lottery Fund said:
“Big Thinking was the most open consultation process the Big Lottery Fund has ever had. We’ve listened to what people said and we are developing our funding programmes to distribute good-cause funding over the coming years that will make a lasting impact on the lives of communities and people in need throughout the UK.”
A key difference in BIG’s approach will be an enhanced UK-wide target that at least 80 per cent of funding goes directly to the Voluntary and Community Sector between 2009-2015. A range of other factors that will determine BIG’s approach to funding through to 2015 are contained in BIG’s Strategic Framework, published today http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/bigthinking
