The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Volunteers turned out in droves to protest against funding cuts that could see 560 vulnerable families lose vital support services.
Lincolnshire County Council has announced that it will be cutting all of its £435,000 funding to eight Home-Start schemes across the county from October 1.
Volunteers and supporters of the charities demonstrated outside the council offices on Friday.
Mary Hutson, senior co-ordinator of Home-Start South Holland, said: “Currently we are funded by the county council to support 50 plus families each year, therefore our current service will reduce by about a third.
“Our scheme will not close as long as we meet the requirements of our other funders – the primary one which has always been the case in South Holland is the Big Lottery; we are 18 months into a five-year project with them.”
Cuts to the service also puts the roles of over 500 volunteers on the line.
Home-Start in Lincolnshire has been providing one-to-one support for parents and families for the past 30 years and has supported families with issues ranging from debt, domestic abuse, inadequate housing, mental ill health, disabilities and isolation.
Support is provided by carefully selected and trained volunteers who have parenting experience, and support is tailored depending on the needs of the family.
The county council’s decision was made in light of the need to find £120million in savings over the next few years.
Ericka Moon, from Home-Start South Holland, said: “As a group of small charities we are working hard to find other, sustainable funding and looking at how we can provide the best value services.
“To cut all of our funding like this means that some schemes may not survive long enough to secure their future.”
