Vicky Browning, CEO of ACEVO said: “The government is taking the charity sector for granted. Since the first day of the first lockdown the government has relied on charities for help delivering food, medical care, mental health support, and housing support. Charities and community groups have provided the singing groups, cooking classes and befriending calls that stave off the loneliness felt by many people trapped in their own homes by a lockdown that has lasted longer, under stricter conditions, than anyone initially imagined. It is charities that have stepped in to advocate for feeding hungry children, to fight for the rights of pregnant women and to ensure vaccinations are available to those most at risk. It is charities that have worked with the NHS to vaccinate over 20million people in 3 months.
“Charities want to be there to do this, but goodwill will not keep the doors open and the services running. Today the chancellor ignored economic evidence, he ignored policy ideas but most importantly and disappointingly he ignored the people that charities work with who most need the government’s support, by leaving them almost completely out of the budget.”
