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The Richmond Group of Charities is fully supporting NCVO's response to today's announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer of a package of support for the voluntary sector.

NCVO, which represents charities, said today’s announcement was an important first step, though not enough to prevent good charities closing, and it would welcome a commitment from the government to review the support offered as the crisis continues.

Karl Wilding, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said:

‘With charity shops shut and fundraising events cancelled, we estimate charities stand to lose around £4bn in 12 weeks as a result of the crisis. We have been pushing for government support because we know how many people and communities rely on the services charities provide, many of which are now at risk.

‘Today’s announcement is an important first step, though it will not be enough to prevent good charities around the country from closing their doors. Even many that survive will look very different in a few months’ time, with a severely reduced capacity to provide the support that people rely on.

‘At a time of crisis, charities want and need to be able to give their all to supporting people who need it most. They cannot do that if they have to suspend their work or close altogether. We know this is not something that the government wishes to see any more than we do, so we will continue to push for the support needed so that charities can keep serving the public. We would welcome a commitment from the government to review the level of this support as the crisis continues.’

Notes

NCVO estimated the charity sector was on course to lose £4bn over 12 weeks of lockdown: https://www.ncvo.org.uk/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/2748-every-day-counts-as-charities-still-wait-for-government-support

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