Author: Pulse Assent

• Funding will support charities and community groups to bring people together
• The money will go to support programmes that are proven to benefit individuals and society
• Hundreds of thousands of people will be helped to make connections in their communities

Charities and community groups will get £20 million of new funding to help isolated people and those suffering from loneliness, Prime Minister Theresa May said today.

The funding will go to support and expand programmes that bring people together and are proving to benefit communities.

This includes a new £11 million ‘Building Connections Fund’ that will be distributed to successful applicants that can help bring communities together. This will help make the most of local spaces, opening them up for community use, as well as help businesses and local services combat isolation. It will also fund projects that use technology to link those in remote areas and help improve transport connections to make face-to-face contact easier.

It will support groups to understand the impact of their work and share best practice about how to prevent loneliness.

The fund has been created as a partnership between the Big Lottery Fund and the government – who have equally pledged £5 million – and the Co-op Fundation, who has allocated £1 million to tackle loneliness among young people

In addition to this new fund, People’s Postcode Lottery has committed £5 million of players money to top up existing grants it has given to charities that combat loneliness. The Health Lottery will give out £4 million to charities that work to improve social links in disadvantaged areas across England.

Prime Minister, Theresa May, said:

Feeling lonely or isolated can have a profound and devastating impact on people’s lives – it can affect anyone of any age and from any background. But just as loneliness can affect any of us, so any of us can help to overcome it.

The new funding set out today will make a big difference, helping more people to establish and maintain connections. This will build on work already going on, including through the second Great Get Together this weekend, which will see people up and down the country celebrating the strength of their communities.

This is just part of Jo Cox’s legacy, and I am determined we continue to take this forward. That’s why we need to do all we can to tackle loneliness, and our forthcoming strategy will build on today’s funding.

Tracey Crouch, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, said:

Tracey Crouch, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, said:

This funding will support charities across the country that are fighting against loneliness. It will help improve people’s lives and create a shared society for the future.

I am incredibly grateful to our funding partners for their support. There is no single solution to this issue, but together we will reduce stigma around loneliness and build on Jo Cox’s legacy.

Funding applications for the Building Connections Fund will open from July 2018 with grants available until the end of December 2020.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

SUPPORTIVE QUOTES

Dawn Austwick, Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund, said:

As the largest funder of community activity in the country we support thousands of initiatives across the UK each year which enable people to build new friendships and celebrate community spirit. This sits at the heart of the National Lottery and we are delighted to partner with Government and the Co-op to deliver funding that will build a greater sense of belonging and happiness in communities.

Jamie Ward-Smith, Chair of the Co-op Foundation, said:

The Co-op Foundation is working to connect and empower 5,000 young people to tackle loneliness in their communities. Our new match funding partnership with the Government, announced today, will help us build on this, extending our network of partners and reaching even more young people. We believe youth loneliness is best tackled at community level, by working with young people to overcome the stigma around this issue and helping them shape their own solutions.

Allan Leighton, Chair of the Co-op, said:

The Co-op knows through its own research that loneliness is not the preserve of the elderly, it can affect people at different life stages. Through my involvement with the Co-op Foundation I’ve seen how it has brought attention to the widespread, but long-overlooked issue of youth loneliness. I’m delighted that the Foundation is partnering with the Government on the Building Connections Fund, to invest £2 million in projects that bring young people together, develop their skills and help them get more involved in positive activities. Through this we will learn more about what works in tackling some of the root causes of long-term loneliness, helping young people live healthier, happier lives.

Clara Govier, Managing Director of People’s Postcode Lottery, said:

Despite being more digitally connected than ever, we are facing a dire epidemic of loneliness with far reaching consequences for people’s health and mental wellbeing.’

Thanks to grant-giving trusts supported by supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, a £5 million fund has been created to benefit charities working towards more connected communities. This will tackle the issues behind loneliness which affect so many people across Great Britain.’

John Hume, Chief Executive for People’s Health Trust who distribute funds for the Health Lottery said:

Social connections not only have an impact on reducing the risk of dying younger but they can also help people to recover quicker when they do become ill. That is why it is so important to support marginalised local people and communities to come together and build social links and ties.

We’re grateful to players of the Health Lottery who have helped provide these vital funds and we’re looking forward to working with fellow funders and the Government in addressing this important issue.

Kim Leadbeater, Jo’s sister, on behalf of the Jo Cox Foundation said:

Tackling loneliness was an issue dear to Jo’s heart. She began work on setting up a Loneliness Commission almost as soon as she was elected to parliament. She would be so proud to see how much progress has been made in recognising the importance of building stronger and better connected communities to help reduce the terrible damage done by loneliness. I’m particularly pleased that this significant funding announcement is being made in the week that we remember my sister’s murder two years ago and celebrate the values she lived by with The Great Get Together this coming weekend.

The government’s work will be led by Tracey Crouch, who was appointed the ministerial lead on loneliness in January 2018, following the report of the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness in December 2017.

ABOUT THE FUNDING PARTNERS

Big Lottery Fund uses money raised by National Lottery players to help communities achieve their ambitions. From small, local projects to UK-wide initiatives, its funding brings people together to make a difference to their health, wellbeing and environment. Since June 2004 it has awarded £8.5 billion to projects that improve the lives of millions of people.

The Co-op Foundation is a charity set up by the Co-op as part of its commitment to stronger communities. The Foundation’s UK-wide ‘Belong’ network aims to share learning between projects that help young people beat loneliness.

The Health Lottery is made up of a collection of local society lotteries. Each society lottery raises money for good causes within their respective areas. People’s Health Trust oversees the distribution of grants into these respective areas.

People’s Postcode Lottery manages multiple lotteries on behalf of charities and good causes across Great Britain and globally. A minimum of 32% goes directly to charities and players have raised £310 million for good causes across the country Players play with their postcodes to win cash prizes.

A Downing Street spokesperson said:

This afternoon the Prime Minister hosted social enterprise CEOs and leaders from a range of sectors including education, health, transport and housing for a roundtable in Downing Street.

The Prime Minister began the meeting by thanking Lord John Bird for suggesting the roundtable. She then set out her vision for a society that focuses on the responsibilities we have to one another and where all sectors, not just the state, play their part in tackling the challenges facing the country, whether in housing, education, markets or the workplace. The Prime Minister then highlighted the work of over 70,000 social enterprises doing good across the country and asked guests for thoughts on how to build on that success.

Culture Minister Tracey Crouch then spoke about the upcoming 10-year Civil Society Strategy, and highlighted the crucial role of social enterprises in delivering the Prime Minister’s vision for a more inclusive economy.

The guests discussed procurement, and how the government can protect and expand the role social enterprises can and should play in the public service economy. There was agreement that the Social Value Act has done much to support the growth of social enterprises, but that it was necessary to take steps to strengthen it and to make sure that the public sector maximises its potential.

Guests welcomed today’s announcement of increased funding for the NHS, and the Prime Minister underlined the importance for the social enterprise sector of working with NHS leaders to develop more integrated care strategies as part of the ten-year plan for the NHS.

Guests then discussed community housing, with the Prime Minister highlighting her particular focus on tackling homelessness and rough-sleeping. Guests underlined the particular value that local expertise can add in terms of delivering outcomes for communities. On this point, the Prime Minister added that her conversations with the Grenfell community following last year’s tragedy had brought home to her the importance of listening to tenants and ensuring that their views are taken into account.

The Prime Minister concluded the meeting by thanking guests for their insights, and there was agreement that the government would continue to support and engage social enterprises to deliver an economy that works for everyone.

Attendees:

• Victor Lord Adebowale, CBE – CEO, Turning Point & Chair, Social Enterprise UK
• John Lord Bird, MBE – Founder & Editor-in-chief, Big Issue
• Claire Dove, OBE – Crown Representative (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise)
• Devan Kanthasamy – CEO, Tamil Community Housing Association
• John Montague – Managing Director, The Big Issue Group
• June O’Sullivan – CEO, London Early Years Foundation
• Dai Powell, OBE – CEO, HCT Group
• Cliff Prior – CEO, Big Society Capital
• Liz Prudhoe – Director, Adapt (North East)
• Gareth Rhys Williams – Government Chief Commercial Officer & Non-Executive Director Crown Commercial Services
• Gareth Swarbrick – CEO, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing
• Linda Wallace – CEO, CDS Co-operatives

• NHS will receive an average 3.4 per cent a year real-terms increase in funding over the next 5 years
• increased funding will support a new 10-year long-term plan the NHS will bring forward
• the long-term plan will help the NHS tackle waste and improve services.

The NHS will receive increased funding of £20.5bn in real terms per year by the end of the 5 years compared to today – an average 3.4% per year overall – in a move to secure the future of the health service as it approaches its 70th birthday, the Prime Minister announced today.

The increase will mean the NHS can regain core performance and lay the foundations for service improvements. The funding will be front-loaded with increases of 3.6% in the first 2 years, which means £4.1 billion extra next year.

This long-term funding commitment means the NHS has the financial security to develop a 10-year plan. The plan will be developed by the NHS, working closely with government and be published later this year. The priorities include:

• getting back on the path to delivering agreed performance standards – locking in and further building on the recent progress made in the safety and quality of care
• transforming cancer care so that patient outcomes move towards the very best in Europe
• better access to mental health services, to help achieve the government’s commitment to parity of esteem between mental and physical health
• better integration of health and social care, so that care does not suffer when patients are moved between systems
• focusing on the prevention of ill-health, so people live longer, healthier lives

It will be essential that every pound in the NHS budget is spent wisely. The government will set the NHS 5 financial tests to show how the NHS will do its part to put the service onto a more sustainable footing:

• improving productivity and efficiency
• eliminating provider deficits
• reducing unwarranted variation in the system so people get the consistently high standards of care wherever they live
• getting much better at managing demand effectively
• making better use of capital investment

Health and Social Care Secretary, Jeremy Hunt said:

This historic long-term funding boost recognises the superhuman efforts made by staff over the last few years to maintain services in the face of rapidly growing demand. But it also presents a big opportunity for the NHS to write an entirely new chapter in its history.

The British public love their health service fiercely, and undoubtedly want it to be the top priority for their hard-earned tax contributions.

The debate over Brexit can be divisive, but that famous campaign promise can now unite us all: the British public voted for £350m a week for the NHS, and that – and more – is exactly what this government will deliver.

In addition to a 5-year revenue settlement, the government will also:

• come forward with proposals to reform social care later this year
• ensure that adult social care doesn’t impose additional pressure on the NHS
• consider any proposals from the NHS for legislative changes that will help it to improve patient care and productivity
• consider proposals from the NHS for a multi-year capital plan to support transformation and a multi-year funding plan for clinical training places
• ensure that public health helps people live longer, healthier lives

The government is able to invest in the NHS because it has taken difficult but necessary decisions to get the nation’s finances back in order and because it is confident it will secure a good Brexit deal that supports our economy.

The Prime Minister explained that some of the extra funding will come from the money the government will no longer spend on the annual membership subscription to the European Union after Britain has left and as well as that taxpayers will also need to contribute a bit more in a fair and balanced way.

The government will listen to views about how to do this and the Chancellor will set out further details in due course.

Ends