Bosses at an important Aberdeen social care charity say they will have to stage a major fundraising drive after it missed out on council cash for a second year.
The budget decision has left the organisation – which provides vital care and support to vulnerable children and adults – “angry and upset”.
It used to benefit from six-figure annual funding from the council to support its work across the city.
But with local authority budgets stretched to breaking point and councillors facing “highly challenging decisions” VSA chief executive Sue Freeth says it has missed out on about £500,000 over the past two years.
Speaking to The Press and Journal, Sue said the decision not to award a corporate donation from the NYOP fund “feels very unfair” and is “extremely disappointing”.
“It is incredibly difficult to provide services for vulnerable people on a continuing basis when every year you don’t know what uplift you’re going to get,” she said.
“We have always and we will continue to do our level best.
“We are a charity and charities absolutely put the people that we support first, so we will continue to subsidise these services as long as we can.”
VSA charity helps those in need
In addition to the funding blow, the charity says the UK Government’s decision to increase employer National Insurance contribution rates for staff from 13.8% to 15% from next month will leave it facing about £468,000 in additional costs.
Founded in 1870 by former Aberdeen Lord Provost Alexander Nicol, the VSA has been operating out of its Castle Street headquarters since 1899.
It offers care and support to those with learning disabilities, life-long conditions and complex additional learning and support needs.
It also helps people who are recovering from addiction or living in extreme poverty.
VSA also runs the Linn Moor School and Campus Education Service in Peterculter, which gives specialist support and education for children and young people with additional support needs.
The facility provides a transitioning care programme for those aged between 18 to 25 once they have completed their schooling there.
Also situated in Peterculter, VSA runs the 75-acre working Easter Anguston Farm.
It will reopen on March 29 to coincide with the Easter holidays.
To help the charity with increasing costs, visitors will be charged £3 to park at the farm.
More fundraising efforts on the cards for VSA
With council funding withheld once again and the charity running at a deficit this year, VSA will have to do some impress fundraising to help with the tricky financial situation.
Ms Freeth, who has been chief executive since June 2023, said: “We are probably going to have to increase the amount of funds that we raise to support services.”
With 25 services supporting over 2,000 children and adults across the north-east, the VSA boss wants the council and people across the region to “appreciate the value” of the organisation.
It is also a major employer.
“The city says it appreciates that, it says it values VSA, but decisions like this don’t reflect that,” she said.
“We provide essential social care services for the city council and despite the its reliance on our services, we continue to face underfunding from the council, leaving VSA to fill the gap ourselves.
“Our charity relies on a diverse range of statutory children and family and adult funding models, complemented by voluntary income, to balance our books, and unrestricted donations such as that from NYOP help us do that and in particular enable us to fill the council’s own shortfall.
“We appreciate that the council faces difficult financial decisions, however, choosing not to support VSA is a disservice to the most vulnerable people in our communities, especially when health and social care services are needed more than ever.”
‘Record’ funding for Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership
In response, a spokesman for Aberdeen City Council’s ruling SNP-Liberal Democrat administration did not directly address the VSA’s concerns.
They said: “Aberdeen City Council set its budget on March 5.
“A number of highly challenging decisions were required to balance the books.
“NYOP funds were allocated to Sport Aberdeen, who operate sport and leisure facilities on behalf of Aberdeen City Council across the city.
“The council’s 2025/26 budget allocated a record £140 million to the Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership who deliver vital health and social care services supporting people living in Aberdeen.”
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