False Economy, the anti-cuts website, has argued this month that cuts to statutory funding for over 2,000 charities will not substantially improve the economy. But do the public think it’s a good idea?

Anon, 20, street fundraiser

It’s ridiculous that people have the audacity to take money away from people that are in need. I know for example, that my charity works in 87 countries around the world. It’s very important that people are given opportunities, in the form of money, to cover their basic needs such as water, food and education to make sure that they are no longer in poverty.

Natasha Aslam, 23, stop-smoking advisor

It’s really bad. I don’t think we can blame the recent riots on that but I know that some people have mentioned cuts to youth services as a factor. I can see how that would have an impact on people. I work in the NHS and suggest services for the elderly. I’m told that because of cuts, befriending services have moved to another borough. I feel sorry for the people being directly affected, if it was me I wouldn’t know what to do.

Jenny Hall, 58, travel consultant

I can understand why they’re doing it. It is really sad, but what other choice do they have? There are other things that can be done to save money, but they’ve already skimmed the whole lot. I wouldn’t want to see too much taken away from cancer research or charities for children. There are too many charities to be honest. They should filter out the genuine causes, keep them and get rid of the others.

Rachel Fenech, 22, student

It’s not very good because charities need to be given more money, not have their funding cut. I’m from Malta and in my country money is always being used on building works, I think it’s unnecessary and it really annoys me. In my opinion a building is a building, they don’t need to spend money on that, that’s where the cuts should be made.

William Addison-Atkinson, 27, writer

I’m almost surprised to hear that it isn’t more than 2,000. There must be a lot more charities than that in the whole country. That’s not to say that it’s a good thing – charities should be supported to continue doing good for society. I would be interested to know what kinds of charities are affected. It would be tragic if they were all for the same cause. Hopefully they have cut a little from each area.

Emily Asplin, 30, pub landlady

Unfortunately, whether we like it or not, in these times of austerity cuts need to be made. Across the country people have to make hard financial decisions every day in their personal lives. The private sector is having to cut back too, so why should charity funding, benefits and the public sector in general not come under the same form of scrutiny?

Have government funding cuts affected your charity? Read our top tips on how to cope with cuts.

This article first appeared in The Fundraiser magazine, Issue 8, August 2011