Our bi-monthly round up of all that is best and worst in the wonderful world of voluntary action is now out. Be inspired, be depressed, be angry here….. Newsletter No 35… Continue reading
The second brief for our work on the Inquiry into the Future of Public Services is now available as a download. You can access it here. This sets out some of the questions that need to be answered about the role of the voluntary sector in the provision of public services. Our work on … Continue reading
Ian Jones, the Chief Executive of Volunteer Cornwall, has written to the Chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee complaining that local services are being taken over by large corporations focussing on “profit, not people”. The letter advocates that outsourced public services providers should be restricted to small local businesses, charities and social enterprises that … Continue reading
‘Social enterprise’ is the new must-have brand for voluntary agencies wanting to prosper under the Coalition government and ’social investment’ is all the rage, held out as the antidote to austerity. But these are slippery ideas and promoted by a Government that is hell bent on cutting public services, contracting out what is left and … Continue reading
Back at the end of April, NCIA convened a two-day think-in. We brought together 20+ people from a variety of vantage points to debate how the world of voluntary action that we occupy relates to the wider landscape and the times we are living through. The result was inspiring “making visible the tensions and contradictions … Continue reading
State of the Voluntary Services Sector – here Bob Baker, Director of the Simon Community, writes in a personal capacity…..
“The so called voluntary sector is in a pretty parlous state particularly when it comes to any notion of resistance. I think that changes over the past 30 years have had really corrosive effects. One … Continue reading
Latest round up of triumphs, disasters and dirty dealing now available for your weekend delight….pick up your essential reading here: http://ymlp.com/zJ4gYd… Continue reading
In hard hitting evidence to the Baring’s Panel on Independence, commentator Les Huckfield accused lambasted the “London-centric” ‘leaders’ of the voluntary sector. “Rather than protecting voluntary and community organisations from the effects of Government policies and supporting their independence from Government,” he said, “national Third Sector Organisations have assisted and supported Government initiatives to fashion … Continue reading
We have now produced a full briefing for the work we are undertaking on our Inquiry into the Future of Voluntary Services. You can download this paper here. If you want to know more about the inquiry or let us have evidence please get in touch with Andy Benson – andy@independentaction.net… Continue reading
NCIA is organising a free event to discuss the implications of its Inquiry into Local Activism and Dissent, Here We Stand at 170 Community Project, 170 New Cross Road, SE14 on 22 July 2013 7-9 pm (networking and refreshments from 6.30 pm).
Book onto the event here.
You’ll find out about the Inquiry findings. … Continue reading