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, how do you achieve the increased role of VCOs in public service delivery when there is no funding? With regards to this particular issue, I thought Richard Wilson's blog on how 'Government must act now to save the Big Society' was really interesting.
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 'Strengthening Local Democracy Consultation' (PDF 110KB). Our main concern was that any new proposal should be informed by the views and experience of VCOs, and should ensure the best balance between participative and representative democracy.
NCVO has long argued that decision-making should be devolved to the local level as much as possible and that there is a need to strengthen local democracy. Enabling greater participation through devolved decision making is an important step toward reducing the local democratic deficit, and truly engaging with people. But in order to have strong local communities, both representative and participative democracy must be valued and enabled to thrive. While strengthening the powers of local authorities should enable them to better respond to local needs, acting decisively and effectively on behalf of their citizens, a strong and vibrant civil society is also required. We know how VCOs have an invaluable role in fostering citizen engagement by giving voice to a range of different interests and concerns, and ensuring people have the skills, confidence and support they need to participate in decisions that affect their lives.
NCVO's response to the 'Strengthening Local Democracy Consultation' (PDF 114KB) is therefore informed by the requirement that local authorities understand and support the invaluable contribution VCOs make in engaging with individuals and communities, and recognise the value of working in partnership with the VCS. Our belief is that the VCS is capable of playing an even greater part in solving the problems of civil society and local democracy than it does at present.
The focus of the consultation, and of our response, was of course on democratic processes and structures. And we welcomed the debate: it is important that there are more opportunities for people to participate directly in decisions that affect their lives. But here at NCVO we also think that now is the time when it is equally important for people to come together and debate the bigger questions that should be at the heart of politics: what kind of society do we want to create? What are the values we want to base it on? Join NCVO’s debate on The Good Society by telling us what it means to you.
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 - including our own - are being called into question in relation to accountability and transparency, so it makes total sense that charities should be asked to demonstrate their worth and the good that they do in society. It is essential that we maintain the high levels of confidence entrusted to us by the public. The public benefit test will help to achieve exactly that, therefore protecting and promoting the charity ‘brand’ in the long term.
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 probability of the Lisbon Treaty coming into force this year, and the changes to the EU legislative process this entails, the elections are a great opportunity for citizens to shape the future European agenda: the MEPs elected on the 4 June will face some major issues, including financial services, social policy, climate change, EU enlargement, immigration, terrorism and security.
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 to get the best out of commissioning. Perhaps the most significant argument (certainly the one that made most impact in the press) is that users’ rights should not be affected by the identity of the service provider. It follows that the scope of the Human Rights Act needs to be extended so that non-public sector organisations can be considered public authorities when they are discharging functions on behalf of the State.
A similar issue is addressed with regard to information rights: again, the report calls for bodies outside the public sector to be considered public authorities under the Freedom of Information Act when delivering public services.
The Government’s Response to the Committee’s Report agrees ‘the exercise of public functions should be covered by the HRA, regardless of who is performing the function’. But it also says that charities should be subject to the act only when they are providing public services. It is proposing to consult on extending the Human Rights Act to voluntary organisations delivering public services
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 of all, the study identified a number of key drivers of public trust and confidence in charities:
- the belief that charities spend their money wisely and effectively is the principal driver of overall trust;
- the belief that charities ensure a reasonable proportion of donations make it to the end cause and ensure that fundraisers are ethical and honest are also important drivers at the top level;
- the belief that charities are regulated and controlled to ensure they work for the public benefit is another primary driver;
- other positive drivers include having personally experienced what a particular charity does, and belief in the charity’s cause.
Since 2005 there have been a number of significant changes that are worth highlighting:
- overall public trust and confidence in charities has increased slightly but significantly (from 6.3 to 6.6);
- the vast majority of the public view charities playing an ‘essential’ or ‘very important’ role in society, and agree that charities are trustworthy and act in the public interest;
- the proportion of people donating time and goods to a charity has increased significantly;
- much more people recognise themselves as beneficiaries of charities and reveal that they have benefited from a charity in some way.
It is also interesting that there is a fundamental difference between what the public overtly says is the most important quality, and what covertly actually drives overall trust and confidence in charities. In fact, when asked to prioritise which quality is most important to their trust and confidence in charities, the public prioritise making a positive difference to the cause they work for.
This study was carried out on behalf of the Charity Commission before the Icelandic crisis and economic turmoil, so it was very interesting to attend the event at a time when so many things are changing. There is more information in the full report, but I wonder what the results would be if carried out over the next couple of months.
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 multiculturalism as a condition and a set of policies that address it as a positive factor. This obviously poses significant challenges for both researchers and policy makers, so I think it is always useful to open the floor for discussion.
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.
Elizabeth
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, how do you achieve the increased role of VCOs in public service delivery when there is no funding? With regards to this particular issue, I thought Richard Wilson's blog on how 'Government must act now to save the Big Society' was really interesting.
Elizabeth
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 'Strengthening Local Democracy Consultation' (PDF 110KB). Our main concern was that any new proposal should be informed by the views and experience of VCOs, and should ensure the best balance between participative and representative democracy.
NCVO has long argued that decision-making should be devolved to the local level as much as possible and that there is a need to strengthen local democracy. Enabling greater participation through devolved decision making is an important step toward reducing the local democratic deficit, and truly engaging with people. But in order to have strong local communities, both representative and participative democracy must be valued and enabled to thrive. While strengthening the powers of local authorities should enable them to better respond to local needs, acting decisively and effectively on behalf of their citizens, a strong and vibrant civil society is also required. We know how VCOs have an invaluable role in fostering citizen engagement by giving voice to a range of different interests and concerns, and ensuring people have the skills, confidence and support they need to participate in decisions that affect their lives.
NCVO's response to the 'Strengthening Local Democracy Consultation' (PDF 114KB) is therefore informed by the requirement that local authorities understand and support the invaluable contribution VCOs make in engaging with individuals and communities, and recognise the value of working in partnership with the VCS. Our belief is that the VCS is capable of playing an even greater part in solving the problems of civil society and local democracy than it does at present.
The focus of the consultation, and of our response, was of course on democratic processes and structures. And we welcomed the debate: it is important that there are more opportunities for people to participate directly in decisions that affect their lives. But here at NCVO we also think that now is the time when it is equally important for people to come together and debate the bigger questions that should be at the heart of politics: what kind of society do we want to create? What are the values we want to base it on? Join NCVO’s debate on The Good Society by telling us what it means to you.
Elizabeth
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 - including our own - are being called into question in relation to accountability and transparency, so it makes total sense that charities should be asked to demonstrate their worth and the good that they do in society. It is essential that we maintain the high levels of confidence entrusted to us by the public. The public benefit test will help to achieve exactly that, therefore protecting and promoting the charity ‘brand’ in the long term.
Elizabeth
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 probability of the Lisbon Treaty coming into force this year, and the changes to the EU legislative process this entails, the elections are a great opportunity for citizens to shape the future European agenda: the MEPs elected on the 4 June will face some major issues, including financial services, social policy, climate change, EU enlargement, immigration, terrorism and security.
The European Parliament’s website on the elections provides profiles of all the candidate MEPs and a lot of useful information. The Electoral Commission and the UK Office of the European Parliament have also been raising awareness on the importance of people’s vote.
Elizabeth
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 to get the best out of commissioning. Perhaps the most significant argument (certainly the one that made most impact in the press) is that users’ rights should not be affected by the identity of the service provider. It follows that the scope of the Human Rights Act needs to be extended so that non-public sector organisations can be considered public authorities when they are discharging functions on behalf of the State.
A similar issue is addressed with regard to information rights: again, the report calls for bodies outside the public sector to be considered public authorities under the Freedom of Information Act when delivering public services.
The Government’s Response to the Committee’s Report agrees ‘the exercise of public functions should be covered by the HRA, regardless of who is performing the function’. But it also says that charities should be subject to the act only when they are providing public services. It is proposing to consult on extending the Human Rights Act to voluntary organisations delivering public services
Elizabeth
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 of all, the study identified a number of key drivers of public trust and confidence in charities:
- the belief that charities spend their money wisely and effectively is the principal driver of overall trust;
- the belief that charities ensure a reasonable proportion of donations make it to the end cause and ensure that fundraisers are ethical and honest are also important drivers at the top level;
- the belief that charities are regulated and controlled to ensure they work for the public benefit is another primary driver;
- other positive drivers include having personally experienced what a particular charity does, and belief in the charity’s cause.
Since 2005 there have been a number of significant changes that are worth highlighting:
- overall public trust and confidence in charities has increased slightly but significantly (from 6.3 to 6.6);
- the vast majority of the public view charities playing an ‘essential’ or ‘very important’ role in society, and agree that charities are trustworthy and act in the public interest;
- the proportion of people donating time and goods to a charity has increased significantly;
- much more people recognise themselves as beneficiaries of charities and reveal that they have benefited from a charity in some way.
It is also interesting that there is a fundamental difference between what the public overtly says is the most important quality, and what covertly actually drives overall trust and confidence in charities. In fact, when asked to prioritise which quality is most important to their trust and confidence in charities, the public prioritise making a positive difference to the cause they work for.
This study was carried out on behalf of the Charity Commission before the Icelandic crisis and economic turmoil, so it was very interesting to attend the event at a time when so many things are changing. There is more information in the full report, but I wonder what the results would be if carried out over the next couple of months.
Elizabeth
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 multiculturalism as a condition and a set of policies that address it as a positive factor. This obviously poses significant challenges for both researchers and policy makers, so I think it is always useful to open the floor for discussion.
Elizabeth
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.