Public services

As the Social Value Act comes into force today, NCVO Chief Executive Sir Stuart Etherington said:

"This little gem of an Act has the power to radically transform our public services. It gives commissioners the green light to take into account the extra value charities bring. We know charities add something special which can’t always be seen from the figures in a tender document. They do it by putting their values and their service users first, often involving volunteers who have a personal interest and experience of the issues they’re dealing with. They are frequently the most expert organisations in their fields and have the skills and the drive to create genuinely better services."

NCVO believes that local authorities should be transparent about their spending. We have responded to two recent consultations about this issue.

In its consultation, DCLG proposed to require local authorities to publish details of contracts and grants to the voluntary and community sector. Currently, this is only recommended as best practice under the ‘The Code of Recommended Practice for Local Authorities on Data Transparency’. NCVO supports DCLG’s plans to make this a legal requirement.

The Government’s Open Public Services agenda, announced last year, encourages the voluntary sector to bring innovation to local services, but there are significant barriers which hamper this reality according to a new report launched today.

Published by NCVO and 14 partner organisations, 'Open Public Services: Experiences from the Voluntary Sector' demonstrates the experience of charities in bringing transformation and innovation to public services.

We have today responded to the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) release of official data from the Work Programme.  

Sir Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive of NCVO, said:

‘The release of these figures is an important step towards building a fuller picture of how the Work Programme is working on the ground. The lack of data available has been a significant concern for us for many months and any efforts to get more information into the public domain will help. However, the number of referrals to the customer groups more traditionally associated with voluntary sector provision appear low, reinforcing fears of our special interest group that some customers are being deprived of the correct level of support needed to make them job-ready.

We have today responded to the National Audit Office’s (NAO) report on the introduction of the Work Programme.  

Sir Stuart Etherington, our Chief Executive, said:

"This report rightly identifies that many elements of the Work Programme have addressed the shortcomings of previous schemes, particularly in terms of offering more innovative financing arrangements and greater freedom and flexibility for providers. However, there is a need to ensure that these financing arrangements are fair and proportionate so that subcontractors have sufficient funds to carry out the work.

Following months of discussions with the European Commission, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is pushing for the implementation of simpler rules for procurement in this country.

Responding today to a Cabinet Office Consultation on the new EU proposals, NCVO pushed for adoption of a range of measures to make the rules simpler for social service delivery.

These include:

We have responded today to the Cabinet Office’s open letter to the sector on the future of commissioning public services.

The letter by Nick Hurd announces £10 million of funding for the Investment and Contract Readiness programme to help civil society organisations grasp the opportunities arising from new markets in public service delivery and new types of social finance.

David Cameron has revealed new plans for opening up public services to bids from charities, community groups and companies in the Open Public Services White Paper.

The White Paper aims to deliver "more freedom, more choice and more local control" by applying five principles of choice, decentralisation, diversity, fairness and accountability.

A new report launching today explores what the government’s NHS reforms could mean for voluntary organisations providing health services.

The Voluntary and Community Sector in Health report (247KB), produced jointly with the Kings Fund, suggests that the proposed reforms present a mixture of challenges and opportunities for the sector over the coming years. It raises particular concerns that larger providers could end up dominating the market, and stresses that the sector needs support in the transition to the new arrangements.