But celebrate some small gains and principled stands

Good news stories…..it’s not all bad news, we’re collecting stories about the brave endeavours of activists, and the lessons we can learn. Read about them on the Coalition website http://www.independentaction.net/stories And here’s some more good news…

Proposals on soup run beaten off

The proposal by London Councils to make it illegal to give out food on the street has been withdrawn as a result of pressure from the grassroots. The opposition was led by the Soup Run Forum representing many of the smaller groups, with support from Shelter, the Bishop of London, church and faith groups, academics and members of the public. Homelessness agencies will therefore still be able to offer such practical support to homeless people in the capital. There is something elemental about this one. Many people in other parts of the world would think it strange that banning the giving of food to hungry people should be regarded as an appropriate use of the Law. Well done to all those who fought off this wickedness.

For more info on this or other homelessness related issues contact Alastair Murray of Housing Justice who chairs the Soup Run Forum a.murray@housingjustice.org.uk or see www.souprunforum.org.uk

Mind you, this doesn’t stop the Police when they see serious food crime being committed. Two from the Brixton ‘Reclaim your food’ collective were arrested last week, and the rest photographed for handing out free food to homeless people near the Oval in London. Took twenty cops in two vans - plus a CCTV crew – to ensure that this act of flagrant charity did not go unpunished. You can see a short film of the action at www.veoh.com/videos/v6333168tbH5b25n. More information from reclaim_your_food_brixton@riseup.net

Cambridge activists see off Tesco (for the time being)

Residents in the Mill Road area of Cambridge have succeeded in persuading the Council to turn down a planning application for a new Tesco store in the area. Councillors agreed on March 6^th to reject an application for an extension on the site, needed to make the store economic for the supermarket giant. It’s not all over yet though, as Tesco has an objection lodged with the Planning Inspectorate. More information from info@nomillroadtesco.org . www.nomillroadtesco.org/

Government forced to back off compulsory "rehabilitation" of sex workers

Overwhelming opposition, co-ordinated by the Safety First Coalition, has forced the government to drop clauses on prostitution in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill. Clause 123 proposed a change in the definition of soliciting which would have made it easier for the police to arrest sex workers, while Clauses 124 and 125 would have forced those arrested into compulsory “rehabilitation” under threat of imprisonment.

As the Bill came to the Lords, peers were inundated with submissions from a wide range of people urging them to delete the clauses on soliciting and compulsory rehabilitation. Peers made clear that they were not prepared to give in and that a lengthy debate was unavoidable. Shortly after, the government announced that the Clauses were being withdrawn in order to ensure that the Bill received Royal Assent before a voluntary agreement expired, banning prison officers’ right to strike.

While the Safety First Coalition is delighted with this victory, it is aware that the government wants to reintroduce similar legislation in the autumn. More information from ecp@allwomencount.net www.prostitutescollective.net

Positive Action in Housing appeals for members

PAIH is asking people to become a member of the organisation and help plug a gap in funding. PAIH is a Glasgow-based, ground-breaking radical agency prepared to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to defending the interests of its clients. It understands well the need for a diversified funding base to protect its independence, which it uses to good effect in its work. PAIH provides a casework service for those facing homelessness, racist attacks or poor housing conditions; housing related advice and information to new migrants, refugees and visible minority ethnic communities, helping asylum seekers to challenge poverty, racial attacks, destitution and inhumane dawn raids. There is also a Hardship Fund for destitute asylum seekers with no recourse to public funds.

The Coalition website tells you more about PAIH’s story http://www.independentaction.net/whatever or find out directly from PAIH’s website www.paih.org or e-mail Robina at PAIH to rush you your membership pack - robina@paih.org

What’s coming down the chute next?

Proposal that VCS agencies be covered by Freedom of Information Act

The Government has proposed that VCS agencies should be brought into the provisions of the FOI Act on the grounds that these are now ‘public bodies’. Whilst this may in itself be no bad thing, it illustrates the increased blurring of distinctions between statutory and non-statutory. Is the public expected to know who is providing their services? Are we expected not to care?

Citizenship – our common bond

We have just seen the publication of Lord Goldsmith’s musings about the rights and duties of citizenship. Yes, this is the report that recommends all young people being required to sign an oath of allegiance to the queen. This suggestion has been met with widespread derision in the press and from the public. If you want to have a laugh yourself you can find the report at www.info4local.gov.uk:80/documents/publications/718729

‘Empowerment’ White Paper on the way

Another one for those with nothing better to do, DCLG has issued a consultation paper to prepare for the Empowerment White Paper due in the summer. Called ‘Unlocking the Talents of our Communities’, the paper examines regeneration, active citizenship, improved public services and strengthening local accountability. Think I’ve read this stuff before (about 1974 I think it was) ……. But check for yourself at www.communities.gov.uk/documents/communities/doc/716251

Commissioners in charm offensive

A professional body created last July to represent commissioners has said it will work to improve the image of commissioning across the voluntary sector. The Institute of Commissioning Professionals, which trains, represents and monitors standards among commissioners, hopes to convince the third sector that commissioners have an important role to play in the sector.

“Commissioning has quite a bad reputation in the third sector, but we want to show people that it can be a valuable tool,” said Doug Forbes, director of the Institute of Commissioning Professionals. “A big part of the problem is that the voluntary sector looks at commissioning and sees a lot of petty bureaucracy.” He said commissioners were just obeying public sector procurement regulations, but admitted that they needed to be careful to apply rules sensibly. The institute, which recently re-launched as a not-for-profit company, is now looking for funding to carry out its goals.

That’s so sweet isn’t it? Maybe someone will offer them a grant?

So what are our ‘leaders’ saying?

NCVO’s first quarterly Charity Forecast reveals that most sector leaders have confidence in their own organisation's future. However, the majority believe that government policies will have an adverse affect on their work. They plan to increase their services in the coming year and also to collaborate more. But they also believe the future for the third sector as a whole is less rosy and expect to have to compete more in the coming months. So compete and collaborate eh? We think this might end in tears.

The madness continues

Love affair between Baroness Neuberger and Gordon Brown blossoms

The Government’s response to the Commission on the Future of Volunteering has been described by Baroness Neuberger as “about as good as it gets”, while she is delighted to take up Gordon’s appointment as the ‘champion of volunteering’ – “I was gobsmacked”, she said, “but really pleased.”

A rather more sober and insightful response to the Commission’s work and recommendations comes from academic Colin Rochester who says “A small group of experienced volunteer managers could have arrived at a very similar set of prescriptions after a convivial evening in a South London pub.” In a review of the Commission’s report Colin goes on to say “Other recommendations aimed at the volunteering industry itself suffer from being couched in the kind of jargon that has been borrowed from the worst kind of business discourse and flogged to within an inch of any real meaning by New Labour.” Read the review at http://www.arvac.org.uk/docs/ARVAC Bulletin - Issue 105.pdf

Homelessness charities fight each other for £500k

A group of 15 charities and social enterprises have been chosen to compete for a share of £500,000 to support their work with homeless people, as part of the government-backed Spark project established to reward schemes that help homeless people to prepare for employment. The 15 will compete in a dragon’s den-type head-to-head and will get training and coaching in advance to make the best pitch possible. 5 of the lucky blighters will divi up the dosh between them. Junior housing minister Iain Wright said the competition had “lit a fire in the homelessness sector”. A bit of pyromania in the DCLG might be more appropriate.

National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning gets their ‘baseline’ right

Hot news from the Programme for Third Sector Commissioning - where the results of their baseline research have been published. Their consultants – ‘Shared Intelligence’ – have obviously done a marvellous job because they have found out that:

• The third sector is being involved in commissioning. (eh yes, we know that)
• The frequency, level and depth of the involvement vary widely. (yes, we know that too)
• Smaller TSO’s less likely to be involved in commissioning than larger ones. (you don’t say)
• Commissioners recognise the value of the third sector as a campaigner or advocate (oh yes?).
• Commissioners were less confident in the third sectors ability to deliver public services. (so are we)
• There are sensitivities and fears about what commissioning might mean to the way the sector is being funded. (bit of an understatement that)Knowledge of the government’s eight principles of good commissioning is low. (why are we not surprised?)

Wonder how much that cost? Anyway, armed with these insightful results the programme managers are busy getting everyone and their dog to sign up to their ‘2,000 commissioners training plan’. As one of our correspondents commented “My personal ‘satire-is-no-longer-possible’ moment is the idea that, having handed over the task of funding the VCS to commissioners who know nothing, the government is now going to spend more of our money ‘training’ them”.

If you want to know more about what these busy bees are up to, get yourself on their bulletin list by e-mailing Siobhan Carroll on Siobhan.Carroll@idea.gov.uk

NCVO fiddles while the sector burns

NCVO has published a report which says that Charities should not claim that they offer 'added value' when bidding for public service contracts because it implies that they can deliver more than other sectors. Instead they should focus on 'full value' - the impact of their work on wider social indicators and the enjoyment workers and service users get from engaging with them. "The 'added value' argument is very tenuous and unhelpful because nobody knows whether it is true," said Richard Piper, head of performance at the NCVO. "Organisations need to demonstrate actual bits of value they deliver that are particular to them." So this is what they are spending your membership subs on (if you’re daft enough to be a member).

Here’s a novel approach to dealing with dissent – charge for it! A Labour council has been accused of "flying in the face of democracy" after telling children at a school threatened with closure that they will have to pay to stage a protest march. Officials at Salford City Council insisted that they needed £2,500 to cover the cost of "traffic management", and say that pupils rather than taxpayers should foot the bill. The pupils think that the officials are being "completely hypocritical" in demanding a charge when they paid thousands of pounds for security guards to "manage" a consultation meeting at the school.

One of the protest leaders said "We are incandescent with rage. We just can't believe they are trying to charge us when 22,000 police officers marched through London recently and didn't get charged a penny.

Jill Baker, the council's strategic director of Children's Services, said: "We have no issue with St George's pupils wanting to make their views known in this way. There are, however, real costs to the council in organising the necessary road closures, including the cost of workers closing the road, putting out cones or diversion signs and collecting them later; the cost of drawing up and publishing formal public notices about the road closure and charges for workers to turn traffic lights to red, and for escort vehicles to supervise the march".

More Threats

Defra proposals threat to sector independence

The Commission for the Compact has warned that Defra proposals setting out how the Department intends to work with the voluntary sector in future could threaten the independence of third sector organisations. The proposals, set out in the consultation document Towards a Defra Third Sector Strategy, include asking charities to "deliver Defra objectives". The measures could breach the Compact, the commission has warned. "Some of the proposals could threaten the independence of third sector organisations….. Proposals to encourage third sector organisations to deliver Defra objectives could put them at risk of mission drift or going against their constitution or objectives."A Defra spokesman said the comments would be taken into account when a draft strategy was drawn up. Well that’s sorted that one then.

DfID join the crowd too

DfID’s latest contribution to shutting down dissent has even got arch privatiser Stephen Bubb, from ACEVO, in a state of outrage. Guidelines for the Department’s Development Awareness Fund says the money cannot be used for “initiatives which involve direct lobbying of the UK Government or of international organisations of which the UK is a member, or which involve lobbying for or against activities of particular companies, individuals or institutions”.

Corporate sector crusader Stephen said the situation was unacceptable. “I suspect an anally retentive official because it cannot have political backing,” he said. “Acevo is giving Douglas Alexander 10 days’ notice to withdraw the advice or we will start biting.” Wow! The kid gloves are coming off! Wonder what he’s got on Doug?

Housing and Regeneration Bill "breaches Compact and threatens independence"

The National Housing Federation are also aereated about independence and has warned that the Housing and Regeneration Bill breaks the terms of the Compact and threatens the independence of charities. The Bill includes provisions that could force associations to use up “dangerous” levels of financial reserves to meet government targets. In a letter to our very own minister Phil Hope, the federation said, “The measures contained in the housing bill would effectively place housing associations under the direction of the secretary of state. The fact that the Government, through the new regulator, would be able to fine housing associations for failing to implement central government directives is simply unacceptable.”

A spokeswoman for the NCVO said the bill was a “heavy-handed approach” and was “effectively trying to make housing associations an arm of government”. Some of us already thought they were!

Funding crisis for Rape Crisis centres

Rape Crisis centres are suffering "spectacular" under-funding because the public sector will not give grants to single-sex organisations, according to research by Rape Crisis and the Women's Resource Centre. 35 of the 38 Rape Crisis centres across the UK were surveyed - 24 of them said that current financing conditions were unsustainable. 8 of them had secured no funding whatsoever for the coming financial year. And the number of Rape Crisis centres has already fallen by more than 50 per cent over the past two decades.

Vivienne Hayes, director of the Women’s Resource Centre, said much of the funding problem was caused by local and central government misinterpreting gender-neutrality guidelines – meaning grant-givers were unwilling to support a body that helps women only. You can find the report here - The research

Anti-terrorism policy 'fails to take account of sector views'

BOND, which brings together overseas aid charities, have criticised a report from the Home Office and Treasury, Review of Safeguards to Protect the Charitable Sector from Terrorist Abuse, because they say it is not significantly different from the document released in May before the Government's consultation with the sector. "This report does not respond to our concerns," said a spokesperson, "The Government has the right to disagree, but it has not even engaged with the sector's views. Reading the report, you would think there is an immense flow of terrorist abuse. There is a theoretical risk, and isolated cases have been dealt with using existing mechanisms."

The report includes plans to develop the Charity Commission's links with intelligence agencies. It highlights the risks of working in countries such as Palestine and Sri Lanka, with "complex political and operational circumstances". It says: "It is the Government, law enforcement and intelligence agencies' assessment that while the scale of terrorist links to the charitable sector is extremely small in comparison to the size of the charitable sector, the risk of exploitation of charities is a significant aspect of the terrorist finance threat."

Voluntary sector “shockingly complacent” about threats to its independence

The voluntary sector is "shockingly complacent" about threats to its independence, according

Matthew Smerdon, deputy director of the Baring Foundation. Smerdon, speaking at NCVO’s annual conference, said that charities were subject to ever-more closely prescribed contracts that limit their ability to act freely. He was left shaking with frustration at the ignorance displayed towards the sector by members of the House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee during its hearing on commissioning public services from the third sector, which he attended last year.

Small charities were quick to voice their concerns about the threat posed by collaborating with the state during the debate on independence at the conference. Hal Hewitt, director of Ipswich Housing Action Group, said the sector was getting "massacred by competitive tendering". He said: "Our influence on what's happening around us is getting less and less. The more the Government talks about embracing civil society, the more it destroys it."

Bob Woods, from Barnardo's, speaking in his capacity as Unison branch secretary, said competition for contracts put charities under such financial strain that many organisations were asking staff to sign less favourable contracts. "They are known as Martini contracts," he said. "They mean you can work any time, any place, anywhere."

John O'Sullivan, chief executive of St Johns Housing Trust in Lowestoft, Suffolk, said he was staggered at the acquiescence of charities to local authorities that had consistently ignored advice from central government on working with the sector. "We need to wake up," he said. "Otherwise in 10 years' time we will have to re-invent ourselves because we won't exist in the same way."

European charities worried about dependence on public money

Claus Larsen-Jensen, director of a Danish charity warns that dependence on State money can limit the freedom of Danish charities to campaign. “Sometimes we are in a dilemma over whether to say what we really mean, because we might lose out on contracts next time,” he said. Charities delivering services had less time for campaigning and were subject to much more control from commissioners. Also it was emerging that services run by the sector had not proved to be cheaper than services run by the public sector.

This message has been echoed by Ariane Rodert, working for Swedish health and social service charities. Swedish organisations had been put off service delivery because of its complexity and emphasis on price and payment on delivery. She said one big company had delivered a service free of charge for three years in order to dominate the market.

Writings, musings and resources

The NEWS AND LINKS page of the Coalition website http://www.independentaction.net/newslinks will keep you up to date with:

Womens Centre report slams commissioning - A major report from theWomen’s Resource Centre concludes that “commissioning can, and often does, fail women and children due to the lack of consideration given to the different needs of women and children and the gender-neutral approach to the commissioning process”.

New Freedom of Information resource launched - website to make it easier to submit requests to public bodies under the Freedom of Information Act.

Power Up! Rights & Justice residential weekend, 16 - 18 May 2008 in Birmingham - Training weekend from Friends of the Earth aimed at activists taking on the planning system

NAVCA gets £2m to help members win contracts - to help voluntary groups influence local government policy and secure service-delivery contracts. A £1.07m grant will establish a local commissioning and procurement unit at NAVCA

‘Campaign with confidence' says Charity Commission - new guidelines from, the Charity Commission on charities and campaigning.

Government policy hampers Community Groups speaking out -

Bassac reveals that a mismatch of government policies and absence of funding is undermining the ability of community groups to speak out about the needs of ordinary people

Migrants and Refugee Organsations encouraged to enter the commissioning fray - Housing Associations Charitable Trust and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation encourages MROs to get stuck into commissioning

Scottish democracy group launch ‘Ten propositions and proposals’ - an impressive list and contribution to the debate, produced as a wallchart as a check to see if what you’re actually doing is helping or hindering!

Heroes, Monsters and Lost Worlds – Storytelling in Local Partnerships - Fascinating account of a series of workshops held in Lewisham in 2004, where participants told stories and reflected on their experience of community partnerships.

New blog on ‘community confusion’ - For those who like the cut and thrust of intellectual exchange, have a look at Andy Gregg’s blog on community confusions

Dissent also under attack down under - Your editor’s visit to Australia found, amongst other things, that life is not smooth for NGOs down under…

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