Local authorities must think carefully about cuts in spending

The Salvation Army, as a community based church organisation and a provider of services to socially marginalised people, has concerns for already vulnerable groups and individuals who may be affected by changes included in the Comprehensive Spending Review.

We work with many already disadvantaged and vulnerable people for whom even the smallest changes in potential income by way of benefits can have a detrimental impact on livelihoods.

Tough choices have to be made but balancing the budget should not be at the expense of the most vulnerable in our society.

The Salvation Army is particularly anxious about changes in housing benefit and reduced funding for Supporting People, the government programme for funding, planning and monitoring housing-related support services.

Local authorities are in a difficult position in facing cuts to their budgets but we urge them to think carefully when considering cuts to services that support people who fall below or who are on the poverty line, including single homeless people.

We are keen to continue to work with those who face the greatest challenges in seeking employment and are building relationships with the contractors bidding to deliver the new Work Programme.

The shift to outcome funding will require long-term relationships with clients and this is something we would want to offer.

The Salvation Army will remain vigilant in monitoring how Supporting People and other funding will be spent in local communities, and will remain alert to the emergence of authorities to balance the potential savings of any cuts with the extra costs that inevitably come when there is no tailored support for vulnerable client groups.

The Salvation Army believes that benefit dependency does not enable people to reach newly marginalised groups due to unforeseen aspects of the Review.

Over the coming months we will be monitoring the potential long-term impact on the people we serve and on demand for our services.




Dr Helen Cameron is public affairs officer for The Salvation Army in the UK and Ireland.