Chance UK Hackney Funding Cuts

We the undersigned strongly object to the cuts that have been made to Chance UK's funding by Hackney Council. We would like to draw your attention to the vital and essential work that is carried out by Chance UK.
 
Chance UK has provided a vital mentoring service to primary school children in Hackney for nearly 10 years. These children have behavioural difficulties, and without the intervention of Chance UK would be more likely to go on to criminal offending and anti-social behaviour later in life. Chance UK currently work with 60 children a year but due to the cuts made to the funding this has resulted in them having to reduce their service, impacting on half the places provided.

Additionally due to you reducing the funding retrospectively from April last year, this will mean that the service they have provided for the last year will not be paid for. This will be a huge financial blow to the organisation which, like all voluntary organisations is already suffering as a result of the credit crunch.

At a time when all political parties are in agreement that the best way to impact on youth crime, gang membership and gun and knife crime is early intervention work, it is short-sighted for Hackney Council to be reducing its funding. Hackney is an area of the country that has some of the highest levels of these crimes and therefore it is irresponsible of you to be decreasing your support for this award-winning and widely recognised early intervention programme, that not just achieves results but can prove it achieves them.