The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) launched its election manifesto today and took the opportunity to call for more acknowledgement from politicians that the sector’s role stretches much further than simply public service delivery.

Containing a series of principles and proposals, which the NCVO believes should be endorsed by government, the manifesto sets out the umbrella group’s vision for the future, including the need for voluntary and community organisations’ role in civil renewal and engagement to be valued.

Speaking at its annual conference, the NCVO’s chief executive, Stuart Etherington, said he was very concerned about the current attitude of ministers towards the sector and that more needed to be done to change perceptions.

“I am increasingly worried that politicians of all parties are viewing our sector through a very narrow prism,” he said. “Our value, to them and to society, in their eyes has been reduced to a belief solely in our ability to deliver high quality services in areas such as health care.

“We have a role in public service delivery and I have consistently argued that we should do it at the right time at a fair price and where it helps our mission and our users. But we have a far bigger role in shaping public policy, in community building, in changing people’s lives.”

A new ICM poll, commissioned by NCVO, indicates that the public is possibly more aware of this diversity than politicians. The activity identified by most people as the sector’s most important function was that of getting people to volunteer, to give and to think of others. Over half the respondents said the best way for the government to support charities was to create an environment where they could “flourish and remain independent”.

The manifesto makes several recommendations as to how the government can help the voluntary sector. They include reassessing the VAT burden on charities, continuing investment in charities’ infrastructure and by enforcing the Compact across all levels of government, including developing a similar agreement between EU institutions and EU-wide civil society. For more detailed information, email manifesto@ncvo-vol.org.uk or call 020 7713 6161.