Elizabeth Chamberlain

NCVO has recently published a briefing on the 'Big Society' programme, which summarises the keys themes of this new agenda and provides some thoughts on some of the issues emerging. While we need to remember that this ideology is not addressed to our sector specifically, but to the whole of society, there are many opportunities for the VCS.

<>It seems that one of the main concerns is about the fact that Government is pursuing this agenda at a time of severe public spending cuts - for example,...

Moving further its agenda on localism and local democracy, in July this year the Department for Communities and Local Government launched a consultation on ‘Strengthening Local Democracy’ (PDF 400KB). The document set out a range of proposals, intended to increase the powers and responsibilities of local government and strengthen the role of councillors, particularly in relation to their scrutiny of public services and public spending.

<>We initially produced an <>NCVO briefing on the...

I think we need to recall that the ability to demonstrate public benefit has always been at the heart of charitable status – that is why charities have such high levels of public trust and confidence. For years NCVO campaigned for the reform of charity law because it is important that all charities can show that they meet this testregardless of their purpose . And the Charities Act 2006 had cross-party support when it went through Parliament.

<>We are going through a time when all sectors -...

On Thursday 4 June 2009 the next European elections will take place, to choose the UK's 72 MEPs. Turnout in past European elections has always been low. Many EU citizens seem to be unaware of the possibility of or interested in electing their representatives at the EU level. However there are as many good reasons to vote in the European elections as there are in other elections. Civil society organisations can play a fundamental role in mobilising their members to go and vote.

<>With the high...

<>In light of the fact that the Government is commissioning ever more service delivery from organisations in the voluntary and community sector, the Public Administration Committee recently published a report on Public Services and the Third Sector: Rhetoric and Reality. The approach taken is slightly different, since it looks not just at the effect on Government and the sector but also at the effect on service users and the public at large.
The report makes a number of recommendations in order ...

I recently went to an event organised by the Charity Commission, where they presented the findings of a 2008
Study into Public Trust and Confidence in Charities conducted by Ipsos Mori on behalf of the Commission. This follows a first study conducted by the Charity Commission in 2005, in response to the then Draft Charities Bill.

The main objectives of the research were to investigate public trust, confidence and attitudes towards charities; and explore the key drivers for overall trust.

<>First ...

<>Although multiculturalism, integration, diversity and social capital have been the subjects of a longstanding debate, I found this seminar very topical, particularly in light of the article on ‘the terrible legacy of multiculturalism’ published just a few days before in the Guardian newspaper.
We all know how the current picture is vastly complicated – to the extent that there is no longer talk of diversity but of ‘superdiversity’ – and that it is time to rethink the nature of...

Some of you may be interested in a recent report written by the Norwegian Refugee Council on climate change ‘Future Floods of Refugees – A comment on climate change, conflict and forced migration’. More and more NGOs in the area of migration and refugee issues are strengthening their work on climate and environment, due to the negative consequences these have on displacement and societies in general.