“200 charities folded since 2010” says council

More than 200 Shropshire charities have folded in the last decade, according to a council report.

The document, on says Shropshire Council has had to “significantly reduce” the help it gives the voluntary and community sector, and a “core offer” is all that remains, but it hopes to “rebuild, should fortunes improve”.

Overview and Scrutiny Officer Danial Webb writes that income, including from the government and National Lottery, and the amount of time people are devoting to the community are both falling and, on average, 23 more charities de-registered than registered each year since 2010.

Mr Webb writes: “Shropshire Council has significantly reduced the support it provides the voluntary and community sector over the last 10 years. All the remains is  a core offer.

“If Shropshire can maintain the foundations of partnership working it developed over many years, it will be able to rebuild on those foundations, should fortunes improve.”

The local authority retains networking and information-sharing capability through the Shropshire Voluntary and Community Sector Assembly membership, and “strategic influence and partnership” through the VCSA board, he writes.

“Due to the council’s budget constraints we have ceased to provide some services that the VCS [voluntary and community sector] now provide,”

“We have stopped resourcing support services such as developing bids for funding or funding advice, small grants for project-based, short-term or core funding, etc.”

Mr Webb adds that the voluntary and community sector is suffering generally “because of the economic changes that have seen loss of support from other bodies such as central government, reduced lottery income and grants, more defined and restricted grant-giving from other funders, changes in charitable giving and generally less funding”.

The report adds: “This, combined with social changes, mean people possibly won’t be giving as much of their time to the community in the future”

“The rate of VCS registered organisations being dissolved is greater than the rate of newly-registered charities.

“On average, over the last 10 years, 23 more Shropshire charities are removed than registered every year.

“Local research suggests that the number of charities has reduced by eight per cent in two years.”

The report, which considers the role and state of the charitable sector as part of the way Shropshire Council supports vulnerable adults, will be discussed by the Communities Overview Committee when it meets on Monday, February 24.