# Scotland’s charities fear Brexit economic shock

**SCVO media release 6 February 2017** **86% of Scotland’s charities fear Brexit economic shock** Charities in Scotland are warning that Brexit could have a severe impact on their survival, with further negative effects on their ability to help the people they support. The stark findings come from a recent survey of over 400 charities and voluntary organisations conducted by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO). Key results from the survey include:

*   86% of respondents feel that leaving the EU will harm the Scottish economy, with further negative implications for public spending, charity funding and public donations.

*   81% are worried about advances in human rights and equalities legislation bring rolled back. This is of particular concern to disability rights campaigners.

*   Just 6% thought leaving the EU would bring about significant positive opportunities.

*   39% of charities are, or have previously been, part of European networks or collaborations.

Further concerns were expressed about the poor economic outlook for local and national government spending - a key source of funding for charities across Scotland. At the same time, rising inflation will put more pressure on already squeezed household budgets, pushing more people toward stretched voluntary organisations. SCVO Director of Public Affairs, John Downie, believes it is time for the voice of the voluntary sector to be heard in the Brexit debate: “Uncertainty and a lack of clarity around what leaving the EU will mean is causing alarm within the sector, particularly on issues such as the economy, movement of people and fighting poverty. There is deep unease that the people aspect of the debate is being forgotten in favour of a hard-nosed emphasis on business. “It’s time to recognise the fact that Europe has been critical to the makeup and success of civil society in Scotland. From funding for medical research to the sustainability of the health and social care workforce, there is a huge amount at stake. The voluntary sector needs to be heard as Brexit negotiations go forward.” A [full briefing on the survey is available on the SCVO website](http://www.scvo.scot/long-form-posts/scotlands-place-in-europe-third-sector-concerns/). ENDS. Notes to editors:

1.  The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is the membership organisation for Scotland’s charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. The Scottish third sector turns over £4.5 billion a year and employs 138,000 people in over 45,000 organisations. For more on SCVO see [www.scvo.scot](http://www.scvo.scot)
2.  For more information, please contact Jordan Ogg, Communications Officer, SCVO on 07557 968 914.

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## About SCVO

SCVO (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations) is the national membership organisation for Scotland's voluntary sector.

Our role is to champion the role of voluntary organisations in Scotland and to support them to do work that has a positive impact.

SCVO supports members and the wider voluntary sector with all aspects of setting up and running a voluntary organisation. SCVO represents the needs and concerns of the voluntary sector to the Scottish government in Holyrood and UK government and Westminster. Through our learning and events programme SCVO offers training and development opportunities to the sector.

Members access an extensive membership benefits package including specialist, in-depth, 1-to-1 guidance from our Information Services team and from professional service partners.

Access to exclusive membership networks (including comms, employers, governance and policy) supports members to grow their connections, stay up to date, exchange ideas and views with peers, and learn through tailored learning opportunities.

SCVO members enjoy free access to Funding Scotland Premium to stay on top of funding opportunities to support their organisation’s financial resilience.

Discounts and savings on SCVO products and services (including our HR service, managed IT support, payroll service and events and training) and partner offers provide members with support to allow them to focus on delivering their organisation’s goals. Further SCVO products and services include [extensive digital support](https://scvo.scot/support/digital), a climate action resource [Growing Climate Confidence](https://climateconfident.scot), a voluntary sector publication [Third Force News](https://tfn.scot) and a voluntary sector jobs and recruitment service [Goodmoves](https://goodmoves.org).

For more information on SCVO membership, visit [SCVO membership](https://scvo.scot/membership)