Delayed compact is definitely useless

The latest version of the compact – the bit of paper that reckons to set out a more equal relationship between voluntary organisations and the government – has now been put off indefinitely.

We’re not too worried as the compact continues to ignore the bulk of small scale voluntary action. Meanwhile the compact industry sucks … Continue reading

It’s official: commissioning is bad for voluntary action

Local authorities and other statutory agencies are damaging relationships with  local voluntary and community sectors and undermining the independence of voluntary action, reveals a new report from the National Coalition for Independent Action (NCIA).

The report is based on interviews with 16 voluntary agencies in West Sussex conducted by NCIA working with Adur Voluntary Action, … Continue reading

Chickens come home to roost

The Charity Commission has finally spotted what NCIA predicted at the beginning of the year, and long before –

“many charities will go bust because of their reliance on government contracts to deliver public services.”  

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/government-cutbacks-could-wipe-out-25-per-cent-of-charities-1926155.html

Hard not to say “we told you so” to those who have tied themselves into  State agendas with little … Continue reading

Say No to Commissioning

One of the principal ways – perhaps the main way – in which the Government is mounting its assault on the voluntary sector is through the peddling of its latest ‘fad’ for PROCUREMENT AND COMMISSIONING. Statutory services of all sorts have been told – explicitly or implicitly – to develop strategies for this. There has … Continue reading

Fighting back

Previous articles in Green Socialist have pointed out that privatisation does not just affect services formerly run by the statutory sector, and also (ironically) that privatisation can sometimes go hand-in-hand with increased state control. Voluntary organisations providing public services are being compelled to adopt the methods and priorities of private businesses through tendering and commissioning Continue reading