Children’s charities have suffered big cuts in government income which have not been offset by a rise in donations, new data shows.
An annual survey of charity accounts by Children’s Partnership and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations shows they lost more than £150m in 2012/13.
It says the shortfall is hitting charities working with children and young people hard because government funding accounts for a greater proportion of income for these charities than it does for the voluntary sector as a whole.
The survey shows that while income from individuals rose slightly, this was nowhere near equivalent to the steep reduction in income from government.
Anna Feuchtwang, chief executive of the National Children’s Bureau, said: ‘This data shows how austerity measures are beginning to bite as local and central government purse strings are tightened.
'This will significantly affect children’s charities that have shown that with their good community knowledge they can provide cost-effective and high-quality services at a local level.’
