| The
often outspoken Directory of Social Change has published a
position paper calling for government to shift its focus to
the “98% minority of charities”, and challenging
the thinking behind policy directed at the voluntary sector.
The paper The Interplay Between State, Private Sector
and Voluntary Activity: A Vision for the Future argues
that there is a disproportionate influence over government
by 2% of the sector, which is then directed back at that
same 2%. It also says that the vast majority of the sector
needs grant funding, not public sector contracts, and that
for the sector to flourish it needs to be trusted to do
its work.
Ben Wittenberg, director of policy and research at the
DSC, said: “This report has been published as a contribution
to the growing debate about the relationship between the
state and voluntary activity. The voluntary sector’s
independence is critical both for its own future and for
the achievement of government objectives to energise civil
society.”
The paper makes a number of recommendations, from improving
government consultation with the sector, to producing a
clear definition of ‘public service delivery’
and where the sector should be engaging in it.
The full report can be found at www.dsc.org.uk/charityexchange/DSC_policy_doc.html
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