Cafe Blog February 2011: An Open Letter

I know you will be as concerned as I am that the Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) budget is proposing to slash funding to its voluntary organisations - it seems to be 80% which is unbelieavably high especially as so many of us are already creating opportunities to work together to deliver stronger, cost effective support to some of the most vulnerasble people in this County. In my own case I am talking to Natural High to see how we could work together to provide social and lifeskills support for local young people. I believe the County's youth services budget is also being cut drastically - which effectively abandons many of our youngest residents, who should be the target population for engagement and empowerment to secure future sustainability. You may have heard Viv Peters from Natural High talking on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire about it as they too have lost key funding, as did the AICH youth counsellors last year which effectively dismantled them.

I was at my first community heads meeting at Hunts Forum last week, so pleased to be part of their umbrella organisation as they are so supportive to community organisations like mine in so many ways, offering much free or incredibly cheap training, help with funding, brokerage services to other orgs. I was shocked that they, along with CAB, Shopmobility, Volunteer Bureau etc. look set to lose their core funding from HDC. The case for retaining umbrella organisations like Hunts Forum is overwhelming - so all I ask if if there is anything you can do to help rally the cause, I should be so g reateful because without such organisations, tiny ones like my Community Coaching Cafe will have no infrastructure support and noone to collaborate with to engage and support local people, and aultimately strengthen the community on which The "Big Society" purports to be resting!

Such a relatively small budget to save - and such a massive social fallout if we don't! Disastrous times.

If you can help us defend our community services in any way, please contact Julie Farrow at Hunts Forum or me at Christine@communitycoachingcafe.org.uk or 0845 582 6224.

- Christine