ACEVO chief executive Stephen Bubb issued the Conservative Party challenges between the rhetoric and reality of the party's promises towards the sector post election, with the shadow chancellor responding with his own challenges to what the sector must do.

The three areas Bubb highlighted, were: for a future government to energise the third sector; gearing up on current spending; and how to deal with the challenge of localism versus a political focus on national centralism.

All part of the Acevo Conservative Party Third Sector Summit held in London yesterday, Bubb noted: "It is a fact that everybody loves the third sector. The difficult bit now is how we move that rhetoric into reality."

Shadow chancellor George Osborne in turn responded: "We take you up on your offer; we want to take up the challenges."

Osborne said the sector could rely on the Conservative Party to offer better commissioning, an improved, efficient and streamlined procurement process; a focus on outcomes not processes with third sector organisations paid by results; and a focus on longer-term contracts.

Then he turned the tables, offering up the challenges he expected the sector to produce.

"We expect you to deliver at scale, offer more innovation than is on offer in government, and value for money that has been the norm in the public sector over the last 15 years."

Responding to the chancellor's speech Bubb said: "The third sector can deliver higher-quality public services at a lower cost. This is not about delivering services on the cheap; it is about seizing the potential of the third sector to do things differently, transforming our public services to the benefit of service users and the public purse. The next government, whatever its political hue, will need to be bold and seize this once in a lifetime opportunity."

Viewed by the majority of sector participants in its entirety Charity Times talked to, the conference was viewed as a hugely valuable discourse in the reality of future policies between government and the sector.

"Less was paid to real detail, but you expect that ahead of the election. But, this was an excellent, honest analysis of many of the issues the sector faces," said one.

But another said: "One has to keep in mind that this conference covers only 25% of what the sector does."

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