Acevo chief executive Sir Stephen Bubb has urged the Chancellor to protect the voluntary sector and its beneficiaries from any further public spending cuts, when he unveils his annual Budget next week.

In a letter sent to George Osborne today, Sir Stephen invites him to “consider the needs to the voluntary sector and its beneficiaries, particularly those from vulnerable groups, when setting priorities for the 2013 Budget”.

Acevo members are already experiencing increased demand for their services, he wrote, and any more cuts would only have a damaging effect on disadvantaged groups.

The government should announce further reform of public services, in order to make better use of voluntary sector service providers, and “further funding for capacitybuilding and contact readiness would strengthen the sector’s ability to engage with programmes of reform such as the Rehabilitation Revolution initiative”.

It should also unveil some “concrete measures to strengthen the social investment market”.

Bubb’s letter concluded by urging Osborne to remember the sector’s contribution to the overall economy if he is planning any initiatives aimed at spurring economic growth. “The voluntary sector is estimated to add £11.7bn to UK GDP – a contribution that is too often overlooked,” he wrote. Any new measures to encourage enterprise should encompass voluntary groups as well as commercial organisations.

The Chancellor will deliver his Budget next Wednesday, 20 March.

 

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