On 9 June the Public Accounts Committee released its report into government spending on charities by DCMS since April 2020. The full report can be found here and below is a response from our head of policy Kristiana Wrixon.
“I welcome the scrutiny provided by the Public Accounts Committee in this report and support its recommendations. Since March 2020 ACEVO has worked closely with the minister and civil servants at DCMS to raise issues shared with us by our members working on the frontline during the pandemic. These conversations are welcome but there has been a substantive lack of transparency in government decision making related to the support provided to charities. ACEVO and other infrastructure bodies have also repeatedly raised concerns about the level of involvement from contractors and special advisors in decisions about awarding grants.
“The Charity Commission’s written evidence suggests that many charities have experienced significant financial hardship and loss of income over the last year. Less financial resource means fewer life-saving and life-enhancing projects can be run. Projects that people across the country need right now. It is crucial that DCMS demonstrates how it will apply the recommendations made in this report so that charities can be there to support the government to maximise the impact of its flagship levelling up agenda.”
