A senior economic adviser to Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has said that the charity sector has an “infantalised relationship with government”.

Royal Society of Arts chief executive Andy Haldane, who also chairs the government’s Levelling Up Advisory Council, said that the “sector doesn’t always put its best foot forward and sometimes has had a rather infantalised relationship with central government (by saying) we’re doing all these good things and give us more money”.

This is taking place “without necessarily seeking alternative sources of financing”.

Haldane, who is also chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts” was speaking at a School for Social Entrepreneurs event.

He is also critical of a lack of ambition among policy makers saying, “too much fixing goes on in public policy, and not enough shifting things goes on in public policy”.

He added: “If what you think your job is, is to take something that isn’t quite working and tinker with it to make it a bit better, almost certainly what you’ll achieve is pretty miniscule.

“The system itself is in the wrong shape. It’s the wrong system. Unless you are shifting systems, you’re shifting almost nothing at all.”

Experience of volunteering and charity work should also be given greater prominence as people look for work, added Haldane in answer to a question on how to strengthen civil society.

“One idea is to have voluntary and charity activities recognised much more clearly in peoples’ CVs,” he said.

“I like the idea of people having some sort of digital passports which recognises, and might even reward, people’s giving of their time. Partly as a way of encouraging even more people to take part in these activities but also a way to recognise this as a valid career pathway”.

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