---

Assistance to Communities

I see my right hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, South and Penarth (Alun Michael) nodding vigorously. The credit unions support vulnerable people on low incomes who often find it difficult to access mainstream financial services, and many of whom are targeted by loan sharks. "Coronation Street" fans will know that the programme covered that problem. Loans can be offered at as much as 5,000 per cent. interest. Such people are in a bad cycle of debt and deprivation, but thanks to a bursary from the Modernisation Fund, the credit union is considering merging with another organisation so that it can respond better to the needs of local people; it will be better able to reach many of those being targeted by loan sharks. I did not have to go far to visit the St. Martin-in-the-Fields Connection centre, where I saw the amazing range of work that it does for homeless people. It provides not only shelter and support, including food and showering, cleaning and changing facilities, but training and support for job seekers. More than 5,000 people benefit from its services every year, which makes it the busiest day centre not only in the capital but in the country. At the other end of the country, the volunteer centre in Blackpool has benefited from a grant from the targeted support fund. It has been working to help meet the increased demand for those who want to volunteer, finding good opportunities to add value to their skills. That is why we launched the action plan. The money is an investment. However, it is invested not only in those organisations that receive it but in the community. It enables the organisations to continue doing what they do best, which is helping the most vulnerable in society through the economic downturn with Government support. The work involves not only the Cabinet Office; other Departments are doing invaluable work. For instance, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is investing £5 million up to 2011 in the "Recruit into Coaching" programme, which will recruit 10,000 new volunteer coaches from 70 of the most deprived areas in England, giving priority to 16 to 25-year-olds who are out of work or education. The aim is to offer a pathway to employment, and to increase confidence and skills. DCMS is also providing £3 million to transform empty high-street shops into cultural and community facilities as part of a programme to tackle the recession in the high street. The Department for Children, Schools and Families is providing a recession package worth more than £3 million to enhance family services. That includes making extra funds available to Relate in the areas hardest hit by the recession, to the Parentline Plus helpline, and to Parent Know How, which provides support and debt counselling to families. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs has launched a payments support service for small businesses and individuals who are unable to pay their taxes. So far, over 292,000 time-to-pay arrangements have been agreed, totalling more than £5 billion. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has provided a £10 million funding boost to extend the opening hours of citizens advice bureaux this year, and a further £5 million next year so that more people can benefit from its free, independent and impartial advice. The extra funding will allow the bureau network to stay open for approximately 170,000 additional hours, which will benefit about 600,000 extra clients until the end of March 2010 and a further 300,000 next year. Last year, I spoke at the Citizens Advice annual conference, which was celebrating 70 years of service. It was heartening to hear that volunteers are still the backbone of the service. The value of the work done by volunteers, including its trustees—we sometimes undervalue the role of trustees in such organisations—is estimated to be in excess of £86 million. Those are all good and positive examples of the real efforts that the Government are making to help communities and third-sector organisations tackle the recession. The Supporting People programme is the biggest source of Government revenue funding for the sector, with more than £13.6 billion invested since the programme began in 2003. The programme is grant-funding housing-related support services, largely delivered by the sector; it is administered by all 152 top-tier local authorities. The economic climate could lead to more vulnerable people facing redundancy and repossession, which will mean an increase in demand for existing services. Through Supporting People, the Government are investing in early intervention and preventive housing services. The recent report by the Select Committee on Communities and Local Government highlighted the fact that, against an investment of £1.6 billion, the programme is delivering a net financial benefit of £3.4 billion each year. Supporting People is helping about 1 million people at any given time. In 2007-08, 41,000 people avoided eviction and maintained accommodation; 21,000 people accessed training and education services; 47,000 people established contact with external services; and 8,000 people gained paid employment. It is not just about numbers on a page. For every person mentioned, there is a real story. Supporting People has had an impact on people's lives, made a difference and improved things for their families and their communities. In times of financial hardship, we need to continue investing in such services. The removal of ring-fencing for the Supporting People budget means that local authorities can be more innovative and flexible, and can pool budgets to support even more people, with services tailored to meet individual need. As a result, services are not hide-bound or held in silos, and are thus not inflexible. I know that concerns were raised about ring-fencing Supporting People; removing that ring fence was based on sound principles and was endorsed by the Communities and Local Government Committee. A lot of work is being done to ensure that the third sector is both resilient and is supported through difficult times, but we must also ensure that its future is secured so that it remains in a strong position to continue its contribution to the design and delivery of better public services. We are not yet out of the danger zone brought about by the impact of the recession; tough times will continue for some time to come. However, I believe that the third sector is in a good position to weather that storm, and can prove its value to the community—and to all levels of government. We will continue to work with the sector for the benefit of the community.