19/02/2023
Statement from Uxbridge & South Ruislip Labour Party:
Hillingdon Council is cutting funding to a wide range of voluntary organisations across Hillingdon Borough. These include: Age UK in Hillingdon, Give Space, a dramatherapy provider, Hillingdon Brain Tumour and Injury Support Group, H4All - a services provider to community groups, Shopmobility which helps disabled shoppers to go shopping in Uxbridge, Hillingdon Somali Women’s Group, Hillingdon Women’s Centre, MHA Communities West London – which helps older people in Northwood Hills, Middlesex Association for the Blind, Relate – which provides counselling, Samaritans, Bell Farm Christian Centre, Hillingdon Autistic Care and Support, Uxbridge Child Contact Centre, Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust, Hillingdon Community Transport, Dovetail Community Outreach – which runs a dining centre/lunch club focused on older residents, Ruislip Northwood Old Folks Association.
No Consultation
There has been no consultation with the public about whether they want to cut the Council tax being spent on these voluntary organisations.
Core funding cuts
The Council has not recognised the true value of the voluntary sector and the hours of time put in by trustees and volunteers. If these were commercial organisations offering the same services, they would cost the Council thousands more, as voluntary groups have dozens of volunteers who put in hours’ worth of unpaid work supporting the local community. Cutting core funding to groups takes away the heart of the organisation’s capacity to obtain funding from other sources.
Core funding represents the collective value Hillingdon residents place on these services.
Examples of the impact of the cuts:
Key services providing mental health support for those in crisis, as well as employment and support for Autistic residents are set to be cut by the latest wave of funding slashes on the most vulnerable members of the community.
The decision by Hillingdon Conservatives to withdraw the grant to the café run by Hillingdon Autistic Care and Support, was taken without adequate consultation.
The Hillingdon Conservatives informed the Hillingdon Autistic Care & Support (HACS) Rural Tea Room that the core funding for service would be cut. The café is a vital source of employment and training for local autistic people. It provides a safe supportive network and social space, as well as being the primary source of income for those who work there. Local residents have raised concerns that the closure of the café will also lead to a decrease in footfall on the nearby Rural Activities Garden Centre which also provides training and support for disabled residents.
David Williams, Chair Uxbridge & South Ruislip Constituency Labour Party, says:
“It is clear that the Conservative Council don't want people to know about their intentions for organisations supporting vulnerable people in the borough. The public will not tolerate these attacks without taking a stand. The lack of public consultation in taking these decisions is something we should all take very seriously. The Tory axe could fall on any one of our community services without bothering to consider the impact on residents. This complete lack of accountability and consideration to residents is why we are supporting HACS and campaigning against these cuts.”
Uxbridge and South Ruislip Constituency Labour Party calls on the Conservative Council to:
• Reverse their decision and ensure the voluntary organisations are adequately funded to support disabled residents and people in crisis.
• Listen to local residents and open a full public consultation to assess the impact the funding cut will have on the HACS café and on the members of our community who rely on it.
Labour members within the borough have been actively campaigning against the cuts and are committed to protecting the services that local people rely on.
February 2023
