YORK has been cushioned from some of the worst effects of the national programme of public spending cuts that kicked in on April 1. That is partly because this city, being relatively prosperous, relies less on central government funding than many other northern regions. “We are less dependent on Government grants than more deprived communities,” said council chief executive Kersten England.

The council has also tried, as much as possible, to protect funding for voluntary groups and charities in the city that provide vital services for vulnerable people. It is not only the council saying that: voluntary sector organisations do, too.

“So far we have seen some cuts to Supporting People grants and three per cent cuts in some adult social care grants,” said Angela Harrison, of the York Council of Voluntary Service. “When you compare this to Liverpool’s 48 per cent cuts to voluntary sector grants, you see we’re in a very different position.”

Nevertheless, across the public and voluntary sectors, belts are having to be tightened.

The city council

CITY OF York Council was tasked by the Government with saving £21 million and shedding 170 jobs this year. Following the predictable rounds of horse-trading between the various political groups, that is exactly what it agreed to do.

Of the £21 million savings identified, more than £6 million has been reinvested to protect key services, such as adult social care. Other services and organisations which get more money include Future Prospects, which helps unemployed people back into work, and there is an extra £1 million for schools with pupils from particularly poor backgrounds.

Nevertheless, while the council has sought to protect core services, this “has been the toughest budget round ever experienced in the history of the York unitary authority”, according to Kersten England.

Some savings have been achieved by restructuring behind the scenes. But, inevitably, others affect frontline services. Here are just a few:

Libraries

Cut: £40,000, from total libraries and archives budget of £3 million.

The city council operates 15 libraries, including the York Explore central library, branch libraries and a mobile library.

None will close as a result of the budget cuts, stresses chief executive Kirsten England – in contrast with what is happening in many parts of the country – and overall, opening hours will not be reduced. But hours may be changed at some smaller branch libraries. About five full-time library posts will be going. “But we are confident that very few of these will be compulsory redundancies,”

stressed a council spokesperson. Volunteers, however, will increasingly be used across all libraries.

Peripatetic Music Service

Cut: £41,000.

Music teaching in York’s schools, provided by roving teachers, will change fundamentally as a result of a new government strategy. Previously, teachers taught about 1,400 pupils across the city, in small groups. In future, they will teach whole classes. They will reach more children – about 3,000, the council estimates – but the teachers will have less time for individual children.

Supporting People grants

Cut: £739,000.

Supporting People grants are central government funds administered by the council for everything from adapting the homes of elderly or disabled people so they can continue to live at home, to providing support and advice to teenage parents, women at risk of domestic violence and rough sleepers.

Nationally, such grants have been slashed by a staggering 48 per cent. In York, the city council has absorbed much of this cut, so that grants have been reduced by only 10.4 per cent. Nevertheless, such cuts will inevitably affect some of the most needy people in York – including elderly and disabled people, and those with learning difficulties.

Youth Services

Cut: £314,000.

Nominally, the council will be cutting £205,000 from the Connexions service – which offers careers advice, guidance and support for young people who might otherwise be unable to continue in education or training, or get a job – and £109,000 from the youth offending team.

In practice, says Kersten England, there will be a review of the council’s entire youth service. Some savings will come from integrating youth services under a single management team, therefore, although plans have already been announced to reduce Connexions staff by nine full-time posts.

“Staff are being consulted,” a council spokesperson said. Under a new government strategy, the Connexions name will disappear from September next year and careers advice will be provided by schools and a new national careers service for people of all ages.

Elderly people’s homes

Cut: £750,000, from an approximate budget of £8.2 million.

The council runs nine elderly people’s homes. The total budget is about £8.2 million. Saving £750,000 will mean fewer staff, less overtime and fewer agency workers. There will be no compulsory redundancies, the council says. “But a total of seven requests for early voluntary retirements have been accepted.”

No reductions in bed numbers are planned and no homes will be closed as a result of the efficiency savings, a council spokesperson said. A further review of the future of elderly people’s home will, however, report back in the summer.


The voluntary sector

There are more than 600 local charities and voluntary organisations in York, together with branches of national and international charities. Between them they provide vital services for thousands of young, vulnerable or elderly people. Many raise funds locally, but often also rely on central government, city council and local health authority grants or contracts.

Funding cuts to voluntary organisations in York have so far been the result mainly of central government cuts, says Angela Harrison, the chief executive of the York Council of Voluntary Service.

But NHS North Yorkshire and York, also the local Primary Care Trust (PCT), cut its grants to most voluntary groups by four per cent.

The city council, meanwhile cut some adult social care grants by three per cent.

Nevertheless, York has escaped lightly compared with many parts of the country, says Ms Harrison. Which is not to say everything in the garden is rosy. Following the recession, there is greater demand than ever for the support offered by voluntary groups, she said. “The reduction in council and primary care trust staffing will mean more people look to charities. Voluntary organisations already work on very tight budgets and are finding it harder and harder to raise money.”

Here is how some local charities and voluntary organisations are affected:

SNAPPY

The organisation spends about £120,000 a year providing play sessions and activities for children with special needs. “Families see us as a lifeline,” said Anne Pemberton, the charity’s care service manager.

The group receives funding from the city council (£35,000 last year) and the PCT (£10,000 last year), as well as raising funds itself. Anne said they were still waiting to learn how their budget would be affected this year. “We do know that there will be cuts, but we don’t know how much.”

In tough times, SNAPPY has no choice but to turn to the local community for help. “For the last two to three years it has been the local community in York that has kept SNAPPY going. But more and more charities are now banging on people’s doors.”

Age Concern

Age Concern York provides a range of services for vulnerable elderly people in York, including advice and information, home care, day clubs, and a shopping service. The charity spends £700,000 to £800,000 a year, money which comes from fund-raising and its local shops, as well as the council the PCT and government ngrants.

There have been only minimal cuts, chief officer Sally Hutchinson admitted. The council, in particular, had tried hard to protect funding. “So in that sense we have been very fortunate.”

The main problem was that there had been no rise to cover inflation. Services were not being cut. “But this will be the second year we have not been able to give anybody a pay rise.” Age Concern York was also having to increase charges for some services. “But we know that older people are already feeling the pinch.”

WEA

The York branch of the Workers Educational Association (WEA) offers about 40 adult education courses, ranging from history and art history to Latin, film and music appreciation.

Across the region, there have been savage cuts in WEA funding from the Skills Funding Agency for specialist courses for the most deprived and vulnerable, says Ray Hearne, the WEA’s regional education manager. York, however, because it is a less deprived city and so attracted less SFA funding in the first place, has largely escaped these cuts. It will continue to be able to offer its mainstream adult education courses – for the time being. “But we will be under great jeopardy next year.”

York Blind and Partially Sighted Society

The society aims to help blind and partially sighted people continue to live actively and independently. It has volunteers who visit people in their homes, runs courses in the use of specially adapted talking computers, offers exercise classes and other activities. It also has a range of equipment from talking microwaves to easy-to-use mobile phones.

The organisation spends about £220,000 a year, of which it aims to raise £100,000 itself this year.

Other funding comes from the council and PCT. There have been small cuts – about three per cent from the council, and four per cent from the PCT – which mean the charity has to raise an extra £3,000, said chief officer Diane Roworth. It is also worried about future PCT funding for a service at York Hospital for patients who have discovered their loss of sight cannot be cured.

“It is a worrying time. We may be okay this year, but who knows what will happen next year?”

Arclight

The charity spends about £1 million a year on its two main services, the Arclight centre for homeless people at Union Terrace, and Orwin House for people with alcohol problems.

The charity had been affected by cuts in the Government’s Supporting People grants, admitted director Jeremy Jones. But it had a good relationship with the Supporting People team at the city council, and had been able to negotiate to ensure the cuts were manageable, in ‘sharp contrast’ to the devastating cuts passed on in some local authority areas.

But the reality was, he said, that there would be further cuts in future years. Further savings would have to be found, and services rationalised.

Citizens’ Advice Bureau

The York CAB offers free debt and other advice. Its core city council funding has not been cut, despite worries for the future of its debt service earlier in the year. There has been a cut, however, in the funding it receives from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for a specialist debt advice service for those at risk of bankruptcy or losing their homes. This will affect the organisation’s ability to help about 100 clients, said chief executive George Vickers.

The key problem, however, is that the recession has led to a huge increase in demand for the CAB’s services. “We should be increasing provision by 25 per cent or more, and we can’t,” Mr Vickers said.