Council Tax being spent on charities

[wheretoyougonow]

I have just read my town council news booklet for once and am a bit shocked. In there is a breakdown of the six local charities they are giving funding to. In exactly the next sentence after the charity cost breakdown (which are not small amounts) they’ve written that due to their spending and funding commitments they are raising the council tax by 4.94% for some bandings!
We are a town with three active food banks (this is not one of the charities).
I personally would never donate to 2 of the charities chosen.
Is everyone else aware that part of the funding from council tax is given to charity? I can’t believe in a cost of living crisis and in a country that is woefully underfunding things like care - councils are giving money to charities.

I am not naming the charities for obvious reasons but it’s the principle. If I want to give to charity, I will do. Some people struggle to afford council tax and need the money themselves.

I have posted this in chat just for a discussion really. Obviously I think some charities are important but I want the choice.

Are they donating to the charities?
Or are they actually paying the charities to do some of their required work? (eg paying the NSPCC to provide support to children in care)

Charities deliver a lot of local public services. Eg youth services, social care, it's probably that ..

What are the charities for exactly?

As in my experience charities often provide on-the-ground local services, which will help the council in not having to provide them themselves.

To be fair 3 of the charities could be seen as supporting the council - however one of those is now a charity as the council stopped funding the service.
One of the charities appears to be a tick box (my opinion) for the environment. They are not popular due to the protests they hold disrupting peoples access to work etc. They don’t really give a ‘service’.

This. What are the charities ?

I'd rather councils gave to charities in the local community (who have presumably applied for and been awarded grants) than have my council tax paying the wages of endless clipboard-wielding consultants chattering round the board table drinking fancy coffee and wasting time in talking instead of doing.

I've worked with 2 LA funded projects they take some of the burden off social services it's outsourcing really sometimes needs must.

You can do an FOI if you want more info? Or ask your local councillor?

Usually it's grant funding or a contract for the charity to do something the councillors want to see done
Eg. Youth work, or education etc

Your opinion of a "tick box" is another person's resource. Can you elaborate on the environmental charity ?

Your choice is exercised through the ballot box

Can you please name the charities?

Many community based services are delivered by charitable organisations, health and social care such as mental heath, older people services, neurodiversity groups and so on , refugee and traveller support, community engagement activities, performing arts etc

I’m not going to name the charities for two reasons:
one is I don’t want the town I’m in identified
two it will influence people’s thoughts. If it’s a charity you think is worthy then people will say that it’s fine.

its more that I didn’t know (maybe just me) that part of the reason my council tax was going up was due to charity funding. As I’ve said I would not give my money willingly to two of the charities listed. Not because I don’t want to help people but more that I don’t like their ethos and I really believe money would be best spent in other charities so it becomes a bit of a political hot potato for me.

The charities will either be delivering statutory duties on the council’s behalf or work that politicians declared a priority but which the council does not have officers or the capacity to deliver. You might not like the environmental charity but they will be doing work that someone who was elected has made a priority.

@LIZS I partly agree. However 4 out of the 6 charities do not include anyone over the age of 25. And one of the remaining ones that would allow over the 25’s is the eco protest group. I won’t say anything more about that!

What about public art/sculptures? Christmas lights? Fireworks? Event sponsorship? Ceremonial costs? Etc. There's loads of stuff councils spend money on that people won't all agree on and aren't necessary. My charity is given a lot of money by local council and we have subsequently supported thousands of vulnerable people rebuild their lives.

Ask via an FOI request. If you think a local authority is giving money to a group that is outside its powers so to do, there are ways to complain and raise the issue.

So youth and young people services and engagement activities?

I don't think posters will look up your town you are being too vague for people to have a real opinion, but I wouldn't be happy if my council was funding a group that vandalised paintings for example? But as I said you are being too vague.

Yes you are well within your rights to do this.

I don’t think I’ve made myself very clear - sorry.
The charity choice is a red herring. I didn’t realise partly the reason my council tax was going up was because money is going to charities. I think it’s a little ironic that the people using these charities are actually paying an increase in tax to support the charity they are using.

It sounds like I might be the only one who didn’t realise this. I will still continue to support my local community despite this. I was just surprised.

to the poster that said I won’t be tracked - there used to be a mumsnetter who kept a spreadsheet to try and work out who people were!!!

The money will be going up because the cost of the services the charities provide will be going up. Charities can still employ staff, and at minimum the minimum wage and NI contributions will have increased their costs.

Yes council tax payers and their children/young people/elderly etc use services it's not a new thing!
i do think some councils have lifted a council tax freeze recently I know ours have and our CT has gone up.

I didn’t realise partly the reason my council tax was going up was because money is going to charities.

You don't seem to have replied to the points about charities providing services eg the National Autistic Society provides safe homes and school buildings for adults and children, but may only have one or the other in any given area. It's not a donation, then, but a payment for a service, and also means the council does not have to cover the capital cost upfront for such buildings.

Is everyone else aware that part of the funding from council tax is given to charity?
Yes. Part of your council's money will also go to charities, as does part of your taxes. It's generally not "given" - it may be part of commissioned services or deemed in the public good.