BRITAIN: Charities Forge Partnership with Government

• by IPS Correspondents (london)
• Sunday, November 13, 1994
• Inter Press Service

LONDON, Nov 13 (IPS) - Britain's charitable sector is undergoing a role change that removes it far from the vision of Victorian philanthropy that has long endured in the public consciousness.

No longer is it just a question of hand-outs to the poor at home and abroad. Instead the very scope of work is expanding like an elastic band, a conference in London was told this week.

Since 1979 Conservative governments have sought to contract out public services to voluntary organisations in its drive for a free market economy.

And the opposition party, Labour, has stated they believe the sector can do more in the delivery of services and for community regeneration, while maintaining their independence.

Stuart Etherington, director of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, is in favour of the contract culture as a new means of bringing income into the sector.

He told the annual charities conference held by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) that: "Contracts for care and services has led to them becoming more local, and therefore more responsive. Indeed many services have been provided for users for the first time, which the public sector has not been able to provide."

The trend opens up questions about charities' relationships with the government, about whether pitching for contracts limits their independence and innovativness both at home and abroad.

Despite his advocacy of contracts, Etherington warned that voluntary organisations at home should not be forced to subsidise the public sector just to ensure their clients receive a decent service.

The emphasis must be on providing a high quality of service which empowers and involves its users, he said.

And he rejected the situation where voluntary organisations have been left with no option but to take on contracts which are removed from their core principles as an "unwelcome redefinition of charity forced from the outside".

To take advantage of the opportunities opened up by government contracts, and better marketing techniques, the number of registered charities has mushroomed to more than 170,000. The sector as a whole is believed to receive 17 billion pounds (28 billion dollars) a year in donations, grants, earnings and endowments.

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