Speaking at a Question Time debate at the v-inspired 'Generation Digital' conference in Birmingham, High Peak MP Tom Levitt has warned the voluntary sector of funding cuts which would follow the election of a Conservative Government.

He said that the Party's 2006 document 'Broken Britain' described a future of the public sector offloading responsibility for providing services onto small, local groups of volunteers in contrast to Labour's approach of partnership. This, he said, combined with the threat of 10% cuts in government spending irrespective of economic circumstances, would mean an end to the 'golden age' of growth and development of the Third Sector.
 
Whilst not dismissing the problems of the recession and debt repayments, he said Labour's priorities were to get Britain back to work as quickly as possible. This would reduce the need for debt repayment to a minimum, over the shortest possible period, thus protecting Government spending including that which goes to the Third Sector. This was infinitely better than the 'do nothing' approach of the Tories, he said.
 
Mr Levitt chairs Parliament's all party group on the Community and Voluntary sector and recently contributed to a Fabian Society policy document on future policy for the Third Sector.
 
Click here to watch the Question Time from Birmingham's ICC