Effective, flexible and not overly bureaucratic regulation is welcomed by the voluntary sector, according to a new report from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).

The Impact of Regulation on Voluntary Organisations interviewed charities responsible for public service provision and found that many believe red tape can be a good thing. Among the benefits listed are that it protects service users, promotes public confidence and can help voluntary organisations secure funding and raise staff moral. However, the report also found that although this regulation works in principle, in practice it is often flawed with charities criticising unnecessary bureaucracy and regulators and funders for failing to work together.

On the back of these findings, the report makes several recommendations, including that front line practitioners should be involved with developing regulations and that inspectors should have practical experience of the service they are inspecting, either as a paid worker, volunteer or user.

The NCVO hopes that the report will encourage a new debate on the subject of regulation. Its chief executive, Stuart Etherington, said: “This report appears to show that less regulation is not always better regulation. What is important to voluntary organisations operating at the sharp end of public service delivery is that they are subject to the right type of regulation. Good regulation should be proportionate to risk, flexible and concerned with outcomes for beneficiaries.”