14/07/10

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The London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC) is calling for greater transparency in the London Councils review of its London Boroughs Grants Scheme this year.

The Grants programme, which provides valuable funding for over 400 organisations per year, has an extensive positive impact on the lives of Londoners and the voluntary and community organisations that serve them, particularly those suffering from the most disadvantage.

LVSC is calling for London Councils to employ honesty in the programme review, which is aiming for a "repatriation" of grants to local boroughs.

LVSC sees this move to local boroughs as a cut in the grants programme that will ultimately affect the most marginalised Londoners and their voluntary and community organisations.

Peter Lewis, LVSC chief executive, said: "We understand that local authorities are under severe financial pressure, however we do not believe this pressure justifies the approach London Councils seems to be taking.

"What they are presenting as a "repatriation" of 61% of their highly valued London-wide grants programme can in fact be considered to be a cut as there is no guarantee that each local authority will allocate that repatriated money through the voluntary and community sector to meet the needs of some of the most disadvantaged Londoners."

The review is scheduled to take part over the course of this year, to be finalised in November, and LVSC will work with London Councils to ensure the sector will benefit fully from the grants programme and any changes made to it.

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