Category Archives: charity

Charity Commission chair should be a critical friend to the sector

A recruitment process is currently under way to appoint a new chair of the regulator. Whoever is recruited, they must be a champion of the sector, writes our guest columnist. The outgoing chair of the Charity Commission, William Shawcross, has attracted much attention and strong challenge within the charity sector and beyond during his tenure.… Read More...

Is It Time For Trade Unions, Charities And The VCS To Find Common Cause?

Today’s landmark judgement by the Supreme Court on the Government’s unlawful imposition of fees for access to Employment Tribunals represents a huge victory for fairness, justice and rights for employees. It also demonstrates the value and importance of effective trade unions – in this case Unison, which deserves massive congratulations and thanks for this long… Read More...

Charities Should Seize The Opportunity Offered By The Parliamentary Arithmetic

Reading the 2017 Queen’s Speech and comparing it with the Conservative Party manifesto is very revealing. Many of the headline election manifesto commitments including an expansion of the number of grammar schools, the ending of the free school lunches, removing the pensions’ ‘triple lock’ and many more policies have been ejected. The next two years,… 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...

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...

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...

Charities Should Pick Up The House Of Lords’ Baton

The House of Lords Select report entitled “Stronger Charities for a Stronger Society”, which was published earlier this week, provides a huge opportunity for the charity and voluntary and community sector (VCS). Thankfully this appears to have been recognised by the national sector bodies, including NCVO, NAVCA and ACEVO; and, from what I have observed,… Read More...

Charities And The VCS Should Get Back To Basics – Pressing Their Case Fearlessly Not Impersonating Outsourcers

One of the attributes that separates charities and the voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations from other sectors is that they are driven primarily by their mission – by their cause. Indeed, many were founded by individuals, with a passion for a specific cause: wanting to address social, economic and environmental wrongs; wishing to create… Read More...

John Tizard: Procuring from the VCSE is different from procuring from major corporates

How often do I hear from voluntary and community organisations and small social enterprises (VCSE) that they are scarred and damaged by incredibly bureaucratic public procurement processes? The short answer is “far too often”! I find this both disappointing and frustrating. The position has with a few honourable exceptions changed very little over the last… Read More...

For The Sake Of Places And Communities Local Government And VCS Must Be Together

The last few years have not been easy for either local government or the voluntary and commumity sector (VCS). And it is not going to get any better for quite some time. Government continues committed to austerity and cutting local government funding. Brexit will leave social and economic scares. Social cohesion is threatened in a… Read More...