Stephen Hodgson

Last night was the Voluntary Action Charnwood (VAC) and John Storer House Foundation AGM, which I attended as a guest/observer. The meeting was packed but despite a number of presentations and a few questions from the floor, the meeting was kept to just over an hour long.

The most interesting report for me was the treasurer’s presentation of the VAC and John Storer House Foundation accounts for the year to 31 March 2009. There has been a lot of public indignation expressed by local MP Andy Reed and Labour council group leader Max Hunt about the level of financial support being given to John Storer House by Charnwood Borough Council.

Indeed, Andy Reed wrote on his website:

I only learned this morning that the cuts are proposed for this financial year. With no notice the Borough Council will be cutting money to the most vulnerable.

Talk of cuts for John Storer House Foundation do not make a lot of sense in the context of (i) the historic level of funding (see page 5 of this report to Charnwood Borough Council’s Cabinet on 29 October 2009) or (ii) the accounts that were presented last night. John Storer House Foundation not only managed to provide its services with (significantly smaller) council grants of just £29,000 in the year to 31 March 2006 and £36,000 in the year to 31 March 2007 (the last two years under the previous council administration) but John Storer House Foundation’s accounts show, at 31 March 2009, general reserves of just under £190,000. As the treasurer pointed out at last night’s meeting: John Storer House Foundation has healthy levels of reserves which it has discretion to spend and, if necessary, it will be able to call on those reserves in the current financial year.

Perhaps Andy Reed and Max Hunt should have attended the AGM last night. At the very least I hope they will take just five minutes to speak to the Foundation’s treasurer or read the John Storer House Foundation accounts. Then again, that might not fit their pre-determined agenda of talking about cuts!