1 big society – the changing policy landscape david gray improving local partnerships unit navca,...
TRANSCRIPT
1
Big Society – the changing policy landscape
David GrayImproving Local Partnerships UnitNAVCA, The Tower, 2 Furnival Square,
SHEFFIELD S1 4QL+(0)114 289 [email protected]/infobank
2
Impact of spending cuts
• VCS organisations being stretched beyond capacity– speed of cuts– front-loading of cuts– implementation of cuts
• essential services facing real and immediate threat
3
Government on our side?
• 4 ‘reasonable expectations’:– no disproportionate cuts to VCS– talk to VCS ‘at an early stage’– 3 months’ notice of end or
reduction of grant or support– VCS able to propose alternative
redesign of services
• “statutory force”?
4
nef reportCutting it: The ‘Big Society’ and the new austerity• “The doors are wide open for
big global corporations… to take over state functions…”
• “How much room will the big corporates leave for… small voluntary organisations…?”
5
Risk of less accountability…“…everything from children’s
services to doctors’ practices could end up outside the scope of the Freedom of Information Act…
“There is a potential for services to become less transparent and less accountable.”
Christopher GrahamInformation Commissioner
The Guardian, 21 January 2011
6
Localism Bill• new powers for councils• new rights for local people and
communities – includes ‘virtual’ and ‘causal’
communities – Greg Clark
• planning reforms • make housing fairer and more
democratic• incentives for economic growth
7
• right to buy (offer)• right to challenge does not give right to
deliver• procurement law favours large
organisations• protection for valued local services?• longer than 6 months to bid• emergency appeal process
Localism Bill – can it deliver?
8
Real power for communities
• www.rp4c.org.uk/
9
Communities First fund• targeted towards the most
disadvantaged areas• start up funds for neighbourhood
groups• charities and social enterprises
can offer support• for “new and existing groups”• match funding “not a requirement”
10
Because it’s
there!
Big Society Bank• funded from ‘dormant’
accounts• to capitalise and
encourage loans to CSOs• £200 million loans to
launch Big Society Bank• BSB loans for existing or
only for new groups?• too costly for small CSOs?
11
Social Impact Bonds• An outcomes-based contract in
which public sector commissioners commit to pay for significant improvement in social outcomes (such as a reduction in offending rates, or in the number of people being admitted to hospital) for a defined population.
12
National Citizen Service
• 1,000 signed up so far• NCS facebook page• 11,000 places in 2011• 30,000 places in 2012• 965,000 16-24 year-olds
unemployed in Feb 2011
13
Community Organisers
• Locality (bassac & DTA) contract• 10 ‘kickstarters’: existing CSOs
− Bristol, Birmingham, Hull, London (2), Norfolk, Cumbria, Manchester, Penwith, Tameside
• misunderstanding?• Labour: Movement for Change
14
• VCS initially ‘overlooked’• NAVCA campaign• Greg Clark: ‘VCS is
welcome’• role of local VCS reps
Local Enterprise Partnerships
15
Business Connectors• people who connect local
business and local organisations• target of 1000• BitC – “a crucial role”• target “areas that need the
greatest help”• address “problems that are of
greatest concern”
16
Big Society Network• deliver the benefits of civic
participation• encourage people to take part
in groups• help groups and entrepreneurs
to access Big Society powers• independently funded• partner with government
17
Your Square Mile• c. 1 million groups• 93000 square miles• enabling citizens to
join and create groups• linking groups to
sharing resources• ‘UK’s biggest mutual’• BIG-funded digital
platform YOU ARE HERE
18
Big Society – VCS response
• Reinventing the wheel?
to this?
From this…
19
What the VCS offers
• essential support for civil society• local intelligence and expertise• democratic renewal• local accountability• economic contribution• Compact compliance• criticism and challenge
20
What we can do…• use relationships with local public sector• engage with LSPs, scrutiny committees and
LEPs to identify priorities for community• campaign for what’s important• campaign against arbitrary cuts
– Compact– public law
21
And finally…
“The Prime Minister’s Big Society cannot grow in an environment of unfairness and a widening rich/poor divide.”
Andrew Hind
former CE, Charity Commission
Editor of Charity Finance magazine
22
The Big Society Challenge
• 22 contributors• 9 case studies• Keystone Development
Trust
23
David GrayImproving Local PartnershipsNAVCA, The Tower, 2 Furnival Square,
SHEFFIELD S1 4QL+(0)114 289 [email protected]/infobank