"Every week in his local area, he told fellow peers, a group named Hands Together Ludlow gives food and support to dozens of desperate people, enables others to access benefit entitlements, runs a shed workspace that doubles as a place to meet and talk, and rescues individuals overlooked by agencies delivering social services. Volunteers such as these, Lord Rooker observed, keep society going."
"But state funding both from central government and hollowed-out local authorities has become more and more inadequate, and charitable giving has declined to the lowest level since tracking began. Fewer people are volunteering, and costs are dramatically up not least as a result of the rise in employers' national insurance contributions, which kicked in last April."
"For some of the country's household name charities, this perfect storm ensured that 2025 was an annus horribilis. The mental health charity Samaritans announced in July that it would close half of its 200 branches. Macmillan Cancer Support has shed a quarter of its staff and scaled back hardship grants. Other jobs have been or are at risk of being lost at Oxfam and the counselling charity Relate."
Local volunteer groups provide vital food, advice, meeting spaces and rescue work for people overlooked by formal services. Demand for voluntary sector services continues to rise because of austerity, the pandemic and the cost of living crisis. State funding from central government and weakened local authorities has become increasingly inadequate while charitable giving has fallen to its lowest recorded level. Fewer people are volunteering and operating costs have risen sharply, including due to increased employer national insurance contributions. Major charities have cut branches, reduced staff and scaled back grants, placing the sector under severe financial strain.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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