Peter Peacock : MSP seeks assurances over future of 'lifeline' Highland day centres for people with learning disabilities 10/04/2008 (PDF download)

Welcome to VoluntaryOrganisationsCutsWatch

voluntaryorganisationscutswatch is the site dedicated to monitoring the effects of the budget cuts announced by the SNP/Independent Administration at Highland Council.

Highland Council has agreed a budget where £3m plus in ‘efficiency savings’ are to be achieved through freezing or cutting grants to, or contracts with the voluntary/private sector, and increasing charges to users of services.

This will – as with the Council’s own job cuts – have an adverse economic impact, leading to further job loss and cuts in services.

Funding to Age Concern has been cut and the Highland Care Community Forum has been given a ‘stay of execution’ for six months.

These cuts to Highland voluntary sector target our most vulnerable and are totally unnecessary.

The Scottish Government has been given the largest budget in Scotland's history, twice that which Donald Dewar had just a few short years ago.

While the Council are making these cuts, they are banking council reserves of £17 million - for a purpose no one is sure about.

This site contains:

How you can register your concern at the threat to voluntary services

What we have done to raise the issues with the Council, Freedom of Information Requests we have made and our efforts in Parliament.

We want you to feel able to use this site to keep up to date with the campaign to reverse the cuts; report to us when a service in your area is affected by the loss of a carer, centre or other support for the vulnerable in our communities. e-mail

Use the site to tell others what you are doing locally. e-mail

Help us monitor the cuts, help us argue to reverse the cuts.