A new panel is looking at voluntary sector independence. NCIA co-ordinators Rachael McGill and Melaina Barnes hope it revises its methods to avoid being sucked into the ‘big society’ marketing campaign.

NCIA has sent a response to the Baring Foundation’s voluntary sector Independence Panel consultation report.

We welcome the aim of the panel ‘to consider the state of independence of the voluntary sector over the next five years’ but we have three reservations about how the panel is going about its task:

1. The analysis set out in the consultation paper ignores the damage to independent voluntary and community activity from cuts, commissioning, privatisation of public services and top-down management.
2. The panel does not include people who have recent first-hand experience of what is happening on the ground in community and voluntary activity.
3. There will not be enough systematic research to make an objective judgement about independence. In addition, the panel is serviced by Civil Exchange whose spokesperson, Caroline Slocock, has been reported as saying that charities should take up the government’s offer to provide more public services – such a strong starting position seems to be at odds with the panel’s aim for open-minded research.

NCIA’s response says: ““Voluntary organisations have not lost their independence of thought and action simply through carelessness or the failure to assert themselves, but because successive governments have increasingly viewed them as instruments for achieving their policy objectives and have devoted themselves to ensuring that voluntary organisations are fit for that purpose.”

NCIA also argues that voluntary action is under threat from government policies and actions aimed at marginalising dissent and privatising public space.

The ‘big society’ isn’t aimed at helping community groups and charities to be more independent. We hope the Independence Panel does not get sucked into being part of promoting the government’s marketing campaign for an ‘independent’ (ie unfunded and fragmented) voluntary sector as a replacement for the welfare state.

Read NCIA’s response to the Independence Panel consultation report.

See also our paper Big market: how localism and the ‘big society’ damage independent voluntary action.

The panel is going to report back at the end of the year and we’ll keep an eye out for their findings.

Let us know what you think – did you reply to the Independence Panel too? Do you think they’re listening? Contact melaina@independentaction.net or rachael@independentaction.net

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