Public spirit survives the snow

In December and January Britain had some of the worst winter weather for years.  But did our response to the snow and ice tell us something about charities and public services?

An opportunity for community action

On 12 January NCVO’s Chief Executive Stuart Etherington called for people to volunteer in their local community during the snowy spell.  At a time when many public services were under pressure, with roads closed and some areas cut off from support it was a good chance for people to help out their nearest fellow citizens and foster a shared community spirit.  The call was part of an NCVO-led campaign to encourage active citizenship called “what do you believe in?” and generated interest around the country, particularly in the most snow-affected areas.

Getting into the spirit of self-help were the 120 residents in Farlington Hampshire who cleared their road of snow despite official warnings not to.  Their story was celebrated in this Daily Mail editorial from 13 January, which also explores ideas about the changing relationship between citizens and officialdom.

A cool financial climate

The chilly conditions were not just restricted to the outdoors: most public bodies are preparing for frozen funding during the next few years.  As commissioning bodies look for savings, it may be that funding pressure pushes them away from citizen-led models of public service towards ever larger contracts.  The Guardian Public Manager column explored whether the citizen model might lose out to super-commissioning, potentially disadvantaging smaller community-led organisations and missing out on the benefits of citizen involvement.

Many voluntary and community groups are currently looking for new sources of income and opportunities in public services.  In this context it is vital to think about what extra value we can add, how resilient we are and how we can mobilise people to support our work even when conditions are tough.