News from The Labour Party

Liam Byrne MP: Cameron’s cuts would hurt volunteers and charities

Liam Byrne MP, Labour’s Cabinet Office Minister, today wrote to his Conservative shadow minister Francis Maude, to ask him to explain the Conservative proposals to cut £100m from the Cabinet Office budget.

This would be equivalent to dramatic cuts to the Office of the Third Sector which provides funding each year to over 2,000 local charities; 400,000 volunteering opportunities; and many national charities who help deliver critical public services.

Liam Byrne said:

“I have written to Francis Maude today to ask him to explain the Conservatives’ proposal to cut £100 million from the Cabinet Office budget which would mean dramatic cuts to the Office of the Third Sector which provides funding each year to over 2,000 local charities; 400,000 volunteering opportunities; and many national charities who help deliver critical public services. I hope that Francis will urge David Cameron to reverse this policy.

“It is now clear that David Cameron’s public spending cuts this year will mean less funding for young people who wish to volunteer; less funding for charities helping people coping with recession; and less funding for critical public services – all at a time when people need these most. We knew their fiscal stance defied economic logic but we now see that it will deliver real hurt to the hundreds of thousands of people who work in and benefit from the third sector.

“David Cameron has lost all credibility in his attempts to position the Conservative party as progressive. As this dramtic cut to the voluntary sector illustrates, the Tories are again pushing Conservative means to deliver Conservative ends.”

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