MPs urge action as ‘life saver’ charities face financial ruin

MINISTERS must set up an emergency hardship fund to help our “silent army of life savers” volunteering for thousands of charities, politicians declared yesterday.

Many organisations face financial ruin unless the Government saves them, a group of influential MPs warned.

Two in five charities said they will run out of money within six months unless they receive emergency funding.

Many are unable to raise vital cash through fundraisers or charity shops during the lockdown.

A cross-party group of MPs claims community groups are filling voids in services during the Covid-19 crisis, delivering food and medicines to the vulnerable.

In a letter to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, the 26 MPs, led by former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and former Labour deputy leader Dame Margaret Beckett, call on them to set up an “emergency hardship fund to help this silent army of life savers”.

In their letter, the MPs say: “We have seen first-hand their significance in the fight against coronavirus. They provide the infrastructure of voluntary effort to support the most vulnerable, facing greater hardship than ever at this time.

“Isolated households, those with mental health problems, people experiencing domestic violence, child abuse, loneliness and the extra stress of family dysfunction.

“They are delivering medicines and food to the most vulnerable and in the case of adult and children’s hospices, they are also taking the pressure off our hard-pressed NHS and social care sectors, or stemming the flow of people who would otherwise need more intense medical care in hospitals.

“None of these community groups have a right to exist, but rather exist because there is a demand. These community groups simply can’t take advantage, for example, of furloughing their staff nor would they want to, for their mission is to help those in need.”

The group of MPs includes five former Conservative and two former Labour Cabinet ministers.

They add that some of the bigger charities with extensive reserves of cash may be able to ride out the

pandemic but smaller organisations may be forced to close down.

The letter adds: “Not all charities are the same. Whilst there are some who may be better able to weather the storm financially, or change their operating models, many – particularly community charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises – operate hand-to-mouth, made worse by the disappearance of so much funding from direct income, fundraising events and charitable trusts.

“This has hit them very hard.We therefore feel it’s right now to make this simple plea to step in and do what you can to help this silent army of life savers.”

Tory MP Damian Green said: “The charity sector is more important than ever at this difficult time and I want the Government to recognise that in a practical way.”

More than £7.5million has been distributed to frontline charities helping the coronavirus fight.

A survey by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) of 271 charities taken last month found 37 per cent saying they would not be able to operate in their current form for six months without extra help – from the Government or elsewhere.

Some are now making use of furloughing.

CAF found that 26 per cent surveyed strongly agree they would need to make use of this scheme but 47 per cent say it doesn’t apply to them because they need their staff now more than ever.

When CAF asked people about their willingness to give more to charity as a result of coronavirus only five per cent were likely to donate more, 17 per cent said they were somewhat more likely.

But 15 per cent said they would donate less to charity than they normally do.