Funding Cuts: When all else fails, order a report … or two
Campaigners representing local community organisations affected by impending cuts to Health and Social Care grants put their case for continued funding to the North West Localities Committee last week.
The projects were told that the Locality Committee is in no position to restore lost funding, however, and councillors committed only to call for reports into the EIJB’s grant funding process.
In particular, officers were tasked to look at activity (or lack of it) to support projects affected by discontinued funding since the decision was made in December. The reports will also analyse the funding spend to determine whether or not North West has been impacted more severely than other localities.
While it’s important that lessons are learned for the future, this action won’t help those projects who need support NOW, though: the Localities committee doesn’t meet again until 28th March – by which time projects will have had to issue redundancy notices to staff and, in some cases, look at closing projects down.
Local activists Sean Fitzharris and Penny Donnelly put forward a strong and passionate argument for at least one year’s funding to allow seven local projects adequate time to seek alternative support. If the cuts go ahead as planned £650,000 worth of services in North West Edinburgh will be slashed, affecting some of the most vulnerable people in the city.
Sean Fitzharris has health problems which mean he will never work again, but despite this he is determined ‘to give something back’ to his community. With support from both Pilton Community Health Project and Pilton Equalities Project, Sean has grown to become an outstanding volunteer in North Edinburgh years.
His MAD (Mums and Dads) cookery groups are extremely popular and he has also found time to commit to carrying out volunteer driver duties for Craigroyston school.
Such is the regard in which Sean is held he was nominated for – and received – an Inspiring Volunteer award at the City Chambers last year. It’s an award Sean now considers totally worthless.
Sean told councillors: “These cuts will have a devastating effect. These organisations are embedded in our community and the cuts just don’t make sense – these projects are saving the city money.
“You are letting the people of our community down. You need to work with us in this and money has to be found. We know that money is available – for trams and waterfront generation – and money has to be found for services.”
Penny is a young mother of three and her family has found Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre to be a home from home for people of all ages in the local community. It’s a place to play, a place to learn and a place to meet – and Penny pointed out that Drylaw doesn’t have any other community resources.
“This will have a massive impact on a lot of people, young and old. No one has come down to talk to us, nobody came to visit the projects to see what they do. Nobody asked us and yet so many people need these places,” she said.
Penny talked of one local woman in her nineties who regularly attends the Centre being reduced to tears when she was told that Drylaw may have to close.
Committee convener Cllr Robert Aldridge pointed out that the North West Locality Committee “does not have a budget to help you”, and added that neither the NHS nor the city council can overturn decisions made by the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (which, incidentally, consists mainly of representatives from both … NHS Lothian and the City of Edinburgh Council!)
With the various political parties on the council currently putting the finishing touches to their budget proposals, Cllr Aldridge did offer a glimmer of hope but it’s not clear where the money would come from to meet the needs of local projects, even if there were a political will. It’s well documented that Edinburgh councillors are looking to make swingeing cuts of £41 million when they meet later this month.
Committee members raised a series of questions and points. Cllrs Bird (SNP), Work (SNP), Lang (Lib Dem), Osler (Lib Dem), Whyte (Conservative), Campbell (Conservative) and Barrie (Independent) and Young (Lib Dem) all made contributions and concern was expressed in particular about the lack of support for organisations affected by the funding decisions; support promised by the EIJB when making their funding recommendations back in December.
Localities manager Peter Strong told councillors that the EIJB had made initial contact with projects affected and that his Localities team will be organising a Meet the Funders event in the neighbourhood.
Despite Councillor Gavin Barrie’s plea for action – “There’s a degree of urgency here – it will be too damn late for these people!” – the committee agreed instead to call for a Briefing Note followed by a Businesss Bulletin request for their 28th March meeting.
Neither of which will do anything to help resolve the crises faced by the Almond Mains Initiative, Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, Muirhouse Millennium Centre, North West Carers, North West Timebank, Pilton Community Health Project and Pilton Equalities Project.
However as one door closes, another door opens … be it ever so slightly.
North Edinburgh Save our Services campaigners lobbied yesterday’s NHS Lothian Annual Review meeting which was chaired by Health Secretary Jeane Freeman.
Ms Freeman expressed a willingness to work with MSPs and projects to look at transitional arrangements for affected projects, and pointed out that Edinburgh will receive a share of an extra £160 million being allocated to local councils in the Scottish Government’s Budget.
The campaign goes on.
#saveourservices
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