This week sees the publication of a booklet that we have produced in collaboration with the TUC. ‘Localism: Threat or Opportunity?’ is a series of short essays from 12 contributors expressing a range of critical views about the intentions and likely consequences of the Government’s Localism Act.
Included are articles on:
How a CVS in Newcastle is using research to ‘speak truth to power’
Sally Young is the Chief Executive of Newcastle Council for Voluntary Services (NCVS), a large CVS with 500 members from big charities to small community associations. Newcastle historically is a deprived area with high unemployment. Sally says: “There’s a huge kind … Continue reading
A contract with the local council has led a welfare rights service away from assessing and meeting community needs
A consortium of four different organisations – three registered local charities and one national organisation – successfully bid to run a welfare rights and community development service in a large inner city borough. It is a … Continue reading
Notes from our May 29th event with London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC) about commisioning, ‘is competition killing us?’ are available to download here.
NCIA has a continuing interest in commissioning and in the policy issues that lie behind it – the future of public services and the voluntary sector’s role in this future. We … Continue reading
Tuesday 29 May 2012, 9.30am to 4.30pm, at Resource for London, 356 Holloway Road, London N7 6PA
Free event: register now!
NCIA has joined with LVSC to organise this event to explore the effects commissioning is having on the voluntary and community sector.
Where do you draw the line at taking on a contract?
Can … Continue reading
Here’s a good read that elegantly puts together different pieces of the jigsaw – the state of the economy, private sector influences on it, the undermining of public services and the welfare state, and how we might come together to resist the plans that the neo-liberals have for us.
We have been getting a lot of horror stories lately about the developing pace and rampant damage that commissioning strategies (especially local authority-based) are doing to local voluntary agencies. We are especially concerned about the impact of the national corporate predators and the success that they appear to be having in hoovering up local contracts … Continue reading
Learn to speak like a fully engaged, customer-facing choice moderniser…
Health Emergency have an entertaining and insightful guide to the language and spurious concepts used by those currently busying themselves with the dismantling of our welfare state. Have a giggle, get cross, pass it on:
http://www.healthemergency.org.uk/pdf/TeachyourselfLansley.pdf… Continue reading
NCIA was pleased to see a strong attack on the effects of market-led commissioning models, but thinks the panel needs to be less cautious on the change that is needed on two key issues: funding and commissioning mechanisms, and the need for voluntary organisations to combine to fight off the threats to their autonomy.
NCIA … Continue reading
John Seddon reflects on how a systems thinking method has improved public services but is now under threat from cuts, commissioning and ‘big society’ as the government fails to move beyond central control and large-scale initiatives.
David Cameron described the ‘big society’ as a ‘culture change’, where people are free and powerful enough to help … Continue reading