EIGHTY five per cent of charities in the region helping people in poverty expect demand for their services to rise over the next two years, according to a report.

The report ‘Tackling Poverty in the North: The Role of Third Sector Organisations’ was commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and surveyed 3,500 charities across the North.

It found that half of those questioned also believed statutory funding from public sector sources would fall over the next two years, increasing pressure on resources.

The report by Professor Tony Chapman of Durham University said so-called third sector organisations who were directly addressing poverty were supported by 160,200 volunteers who provided 11.5 million hours of work each year.

The replacement value of their contribution would be £140m based on the average regional wage.

Prof Chapman said: “Many charities which aim to tackle poverty are working hard to influence local public sector organisations in order to bring more resources to bear on growing demand for their services.

“But many are struggling to keep up, 26 per cent of such charities are drawing upon their [cash] reserves to meet demand and pay for essential costs compared with just 16 per cent of general charities.”