PRESS RELEASE: Big Society money won’t heal Communities hit by Cuts

Liberal Democrats have responded to the announced Big Society Grant Fund as being "better than nothing but far short of what is needed".

Spokesman on Adults and Communities Dr Sarah Hill CC said: "I am certainly pleased to see that a Tory council has finally put some money into the Big Society, but I think that Mr Parsons has simplified the impact that his budget is going to have on local communities."

She added: "£340,000 will of course be a help to smaller VCS organisations across the County, but the detail is that it is designed to pump prime organisations to help them increase their capacity and to access further funding. It is not designed to direclty replace lost services due to cuts. This is a subtle but crucial distinction, it is about investment. Mr Parsons' fund is only one off money and relies upon an increase in funding for later years - this could be potentially difficult if avalible funding dries up leaving many organisations worse off. "

"I think that the fund is a good idea, its better than nothing but in our opinion it is far short of what is needed. This fund cannot work miracles in the face of the tsunami of cuts that local communities are faced with from the current Tory budget plans and is overly reliant on groups that are funded being able to secure long term resources."

For more information about the fund please go to: www.leics.gov.uk/bigsociety