A DVA event, SMH Group Stadium Chesterfield, 17 July 2024
I’ve known about the proposed cuts to the voluntary sector for a while, but when I was asked to speak here today, I thought I’d best delve deeper and get my facts straight. It seems that adult day care centres, lunch clubs, and many of the other vital assets, that people have worked hard to establish and maintain, are in danger of closing. If the proposals go ahead, it will inevitably result in even more suffering for those most in need.
Cuts do have to be made and I don’t envy those whose job it is to make them. But that’s what this consultation is all about, isn’t it? To present to the decision makers at Derbyshire County Council what people think about their proposals, in a respectful way of course.
Like many, I am proud of our voluntary sector and I’m proud to be a part of it. I have several hats, but the most important is the support group I run for those who have borderline personality disorder. There are many groups like mine, who rely on the support and guidance of the larger voluntary sector organisations. Cutting their funding will effectively put an end to many of the smaller groups.
I would like those who are considering these cuts to understand the true value of community and voluntary groups. Not everyone has support in the form of family and friends, and most cannot afford to go private. Until they have adequate services to rely on, these groups can be the only support someone has. But they’re not just social groups that gather for coffee and a chat. For many, it’s the first time they’ve been able to meet others who struggle with the same or similar difficulties.
My support group can’t provide therapy, and our members still need to access services where they can, but I must say, the kind of support they give each other is amazing. They’ve found a sense of belonging, where they’re not judged or ignored. This might not mean a lot to people who are not over-sensitive and paranoid, or don’t often feel the need to self-harm, or don’t act like a child but can’t seem to control it, but our members recognise how difficult it is to manage these emotions and they praise each other for not doing those things. They encourage each other to find distraction techniques and to keep themselves safe.
We provide a website, newsletters, zoom calls and Whatsapp groups, but we also encourage them to develop their own networks between themselves, and many have. They go bowling and meet for picnics or for walks. They want to help themselves and each other; they just need that extra help that a community group like ours can provide.
There are many community groups around Derbyshire doing amazing work. If their funding is taken away, what’s left? My guess is that the long-term consequences on people’s health, and therefore the financial cost on the taxpayer, will far outweigh any money that will be saved by devastating the voluntary sector. Please remember that we who run these community groups don’t get paid for what we do. We’re volunteers, who do it because we’re passionate about helping people. But we can’t do it alone.
Without over-simplifying the issue, isn’t it a matter of priorities? Shouldn’t high salaries come second to ensuring that people have their basic needs met? And by this I am including befriending to prevent loneliness, counselling for the bereaved, day care centres for disabled children and adults, and for older adults. And the many other networks and services that we ourselves may not need right now. But who knows what help we might need in the future!
I don’t usually use the quotes of American politicians, and don’t worry, it’s not Donald Trump, but I think this one is relevant here. You’ve probably heard it before:
“It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.”[1] (disabled)
What I would like to say to the decision makers at Derbyshire County Council is, please take a step back and think of the consequences of what you’re doing to the people of Derbyshire. By cutting discretionary grant funding to voluntary and community organisations you will, in effect, be reducing the most vulnerable in society to collateral damage. The money you save would be short-term but the problems it could present are long-term and far reaching. Please take note of the views gathered in this consultation. Search your conscience and work together to find a way that does not target those most in need.
Thank You!
[1] At the Hubert Humphrey Building dedication, Nov. 1, 1977, in Washington, D.C., former vice president Humphrey
Sue Wheatcroft 