The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
MSP urges council not to cut £410,000 worth of funds from causes
A Fife MSP has urged council chiefs to overturn the decision to slash more than £400,000 of “vital” funding from charities supporting vulnerable families.
Voluntary organisations such as Fife Gingerbread and the Cottage Family Centre in Kirkcaldy could see their funding significantly cut as councillors backed a “recommissioning” programme of the children and families service last month.
In an effort to save money, £410,000 worth of cash will be cut from the 2021-22 budget which could see funding discontinued for 19 charities in the region after a six-month transition period.
Local authority bosses say some organisations affected provide more universal services such as counselling schemes for parents – rather than focusing explicitly on services which complement the council’s efforts in education and social work.
Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Claire Baker said the decision will come as a huge blow to the charities.
“In the summer I hosted a round table discussion with a number of local family and children’s services groups, hearing about the impact of Covid-19 and the importance of continued funding support,” she said.
“The work of local voluntary organisations in supporting children and families is highly valued and many of these services have been working flat out to cope through the pandemic
“The understanding of local authorities means that there is a need to ensure value for money and while Fife Council may wish to pursue a reconfiguration of its services to achieve this, removing £410,000 from the budget will have a negative impact on what are vital services for many of our children and young people.”
Head of education and children’s services Kathy Henwood said: “We are committed to working in partnership with the third sector to deliver services to the most vulnerable children, young people and families in Fife.
“The recent programme of work has involved regular engagement sessions with the third sector, including one-toone meetings with organisations.
“Individual meetings will continue with organisations providing feedback on applications and discussion on future services, including funding streams.”