Last Wednesday over fifty organisations came together at the Lothian Chambers to attend a consultation event hosted by EVOC. The purpose of the event was to consider the Council’s 2013/14 budget proposals and to help us to form a submission of evidence to the Council Finance and Budget Committee on 17th January.
We were joined at the event by Council officials: Councillors Child, Rankin and Cook urged us to individually and collectively submit our views to the consultation. They explained the context within which they are setting the budget, and they were keen to be made aware of any unintended consequences of their proposals.
Breaking into thematic work streams the participants considered
- the proposals listed in the Council budget papers;
- consequences of those proposals;
- alternative suggestions;
- case studies for evidence.
A common issue emerging from discussion groups was the instability created by the reduction of annual funding. Increasing constraints upon income diminishes our ability to forward plan, develop services, retain staff and manage the risks to our businesses.
Furthermore, the sector levers in over 60% of its income, often building on a core of statutory funding. Any reduction in statutory funding damages our ability to attract this healthy inward investment.
Last month EVOC invited voluntary organisations in Edinburgh to respond to an online survey about potential impacts of the council budget. Feedback from the survey is published in this report – but the more evidence we can collect, the better. Everything we receive will be anonymised, collated and presented to the Finance and Budget Committee in January.
Please share your story with us: how would budget cuts affect your organisation? Help us to illustrate the value of the third sector in Edinburgh, and the long-term consequences of short-term cuts to funding. There is now a dedicated space on the EVOC website, where we will be collecting your feedback and making the case for the third sector. Please email us to submit your evidence.
It is clear that times are tough and will get tougher. At the consultation event last week there was a real commitment in the room – among Councillors and voluntary sector participants alike – to listen respectfully to each other and to acknowledge that we do actually want the same thing: the best for Edinburgh’s citizens and communities.
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