Big lottery robbery

Young people’s mental health interventions, women’s refuge projects and food banks could come under threat as the government may well look to cut £320m from the Big Lottery Fund.

 

The services that UK charities provide to thousands of the country’s most vulnerable people could be decimated, as reports mount that the government wants to cut funding.

 

“David Cameron has made much of his so-called Big Society vision, but here he is acting as an accomplice heaping misery on to those that have been knocked sideways by savage cuts to working tax credits, unemployment and homelessness – the very people who seek assistance from charities,” said Sally Kosky, Unite national officer for the not for profit sector.

 

It is understood that the money cut from charities will go to the heritage, arts and sports distributers to make up for ‘austerity’ cuts by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

 

This is conflicting to the founding principle of the lottery by John Major’s administration that lottery money should not be used as a substitute for government spending.

 ‘Masked highwayman’

“This is Robin Hood in reverse, masked highwayman George Osborne robbing from the poor to give tax breaks to the wealthy,” added Sally.

 

Unite has 60,000 members working in the not for profit sector, many of who provide services to the most vulnerable people in our society.

 

“Journalists need to look at the small print of the spending review documents to discover the scale of the big robbery being perpetuated by the chancellor on the charitable sector,” said Sally.

 

“Charities are often the last resort for the vulnerable and they won’t be able to withstand the tsunami of cuts to services that a £320 loss will entail,” she added.