A MAJOR survey of Oxfordshire charities reveals almost half are bracing themselves for a long battle for survival in the coming months.

With cuts in funding from both local and central government imminent, many voluntary organisations fear they may not be around long enough to contribute to David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’.

The survey carried out by Oxfordshire Community and Voluntary Action showed that 48 per cent of the voluntary organisations who responded expected government cuts “to have a fundamental effect on them.”

Forty five per cent of those questioned said that the continuation of local government funding from either county, city or district councils was “critical to their survival.”

Around half of the charities said they had no plans yet in place to deal with the cuts.

The bulk of the 82 charities taking part in the survey described their clients as “all members of the community.” But some of those taking part are specifically concerned with children, young people, the homeless and people with health conditions.

OCVA chief executive, Alison Baxter, said: “The government will be looking to charities and community groups to deliver much of its Big Society agenda.

“They want to make it easier to set up and run a charity and to promote the delivery of public services. Yet the impact of the public sector spending cuts is likely to mean less money available.

“We also have concerns about whether there will be enough volunteers to do everything that is needed in future.”

The OCVA is the main umbrella body for the Oxfordshire voluntary and community sector.

Gill Tishler, director of the Citizens’ Advice Bureau in Oxford, said CAB would be anxiously waiting, along with other charities, “to see how the sums work out.”

She anticipated that the CAB would be one of the groups that would see demands on its services increase in the faces of changes in the benefits and housing support systems.

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