Articles - Page 9 of 41

Memo To New Minister For Civil Society

The Prime Minister has appointed John Glen as the new Minister for Civil Society. This a very important role though it has not always had the recognition nor political clout it should have. One hopes that this will change under Mr. Glen’s tenure. This tenure may be short if the Government does not last and… Read More...

Public sector procurers must respect the voluntary and community sector, or it will not be there for them when they need it

This week, New Philanthropy Capital (NPC) will warn that charities believe their relationship with the state is increasingly dysfunctional, with many of those charities most dependent on public service contracts now seriously struggling. In a report to be published on Wednesday, NPC will report the alarming news that “nearly two-thirds of charities say they have… Read More...

Let’s Adopt Public Service Ethos-Based Public Procurement And Contracting

The General Election discussion on the role of businesses in the delivery of public services should be welcomed by those committed to public service. Labour has announced that it would want to cap the pay of senior executives of companies that contract with the Government – and one assumes the wider public sector. It would… Read More...

Charities Should Define Their Relationship With The State Before They’re Boxed In

The role of the state at least in terms of the organising, funding and delivery of public services will undoubtedly be a core issue in the current General Election. The level of public spending and the future of public service provision is one of the principal dividing lines between the Conservative and Labour Parties, and… Read More...

The Political Parties Should Commit To An Enquiry Into Public Service Outsourcing

It is both interesting and encouraging that senior politicians have already spoken about public sector outsourcing and contracting in the first week of the 2017 General Election. Jeremy Corbyn has committed to using public procurement to drive up standards of employment, ensure trade union membership for employees and timely payments to suppliers especially smaller companies,… Read More...

A champion of the sector

Last Thursday afternoon I received an email from George Jones commenting on an article which I had written for that day’s The MJ. He was impressed The MJ editorial team had published a book review, having told me only two weeks ago (over one of our regular lunches that at times felt more like tutorials,… Read More...

Public procurement should be delivering opportunities for people with disabilities

Reading the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ)’s report on employment for people with disabilities (or perhaps more aptly ‘lack of employment for people with disabilities’) Rethinking Disability Work http://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/core/wp-, I was reminded that although we have made progress in this country in terms of rights for people with disabilities there is a long, long way… Read More...

Perception deceptions

When I saw a book with the title Kittens are Evil – Little Heresies in Public Policy, I knew that I had to read it to understand why a book on public policy should have such a provocative title. I happen to like cats and kittens, but I also enjoy challenging orthodoxy and so the… Read More...

Economic growth unsustainable without strong local charities

Reading the recently published House of Lords Select Committee report on charities (‘Strong Charities for a Stronger Society’ – http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/john-tizard/house-of-lords_b_15708240.html) and recent New Start articles on regeneration, social and economic investment and localism, I have been struck by the correlation between them. It is increasingly accepted that economic regeneration and growth must not only be… Read More...