Charities that rely on statutory funding should be listed as separate organisations to those that don’t, and should not be able to lobby against cuts, according to Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke.
Contributing to yesterday’s NCVO and Acevo panel discussion at the Conservative Party Conference, ‘Going quiet? Are charities being co-opted by the state’, Elphicke said: “I feel uncomfortable when a charity which is effectively outsourcing complains that they don’t want their business to be cut back. All they want is more public money. It is business protection campaigning. It would be better if the outsourcing side of charities was separate to the rest. The two have become too mixed and muddled. I don’t think it helps the third sector.”
Elphicke drew reference to news from Action for Children that it is to publish a list of cuts and their impact on young people to back up his point, saying: “The question this raises is why are they doing this? Is it because they want that money to be flowing to the voluntary sector?”
His comments rattled Dame Clare Tickell, chief executive of Action for Children, who was also on the panel. She responded: “There is a distinction between a self-interested campaign and between speaking out on young people and families. The [research] work we have done is on the impact of cuts on families. This is not about Action for Children, it’s about our families. I find it offensive that this would be seen as self-serving.
“Our mission is to meet the needs of disadvantaged people. I don’t believe anyone sits in government and thinks ‘we’re going to do terrible things to children’. But it is important we understand the consequences of decisions as they go down the chain. If we didn’t speak out about that we would not be an independent charity.”
The impact of funding cuts, both positive and negative, has been tracked by Action for Children since the Comprehensive Spending Review. The findings will be published on the anniversary of the CSR on 21 October.
Polly Toynbee: Charities 'too nervous'
Also speaking on the panel was leftwing commentator Polly Toynbee who accused charities of being “muzzled” and of not being vocal enough about the impact of government policies on vulnerable people.
She said the sector has a duty to speak up when the government does something that will have a negative impact or says something that isn’t true. Despite this she is “not hearing enough” from charities whose press releases on cuts and the impact of cuts seem “nervous” for fear of losing funding.
“If you don’t speak up, who else will? You have the evidence to say what is true and the trust to be believed. If core services that make a difference are being ripped out you need to say so instead of hoping you might hang onto what little bit of money you get. It is very often that it is charities that see most clearly what is happening. The public needs that voice.”
