Central and local government need to do more to involve the voluntary sector in devolution deals, but the charities also needs to “up their game” and engage more proactively, according to a report out today.
Local needs, local voices: building devolution from the ground up, published today by NCVO, reveals that very few charities have been involved so far and calls for a halt devolution deals until it can be shown how the voluntary sector has been consulted in developing devolution plans.
NCVO is calling for greater transparency in how devolution deals are agreed and said that the government should publish minimum criteria for engaging with the charity sector.
Eight regions have agreed devolution deals and 38 proposals have been submitted to government.
Karl Wilding, director of public policy and volunteering at NCVO, said: “So far, devolution seems like a missed opportunity to involve many of those to whom it was meant to return power.
“If devolution just centralises power in town halls then we’re destined to continue the disillusionment and disengagement of old.”
Lack of engagement
Nearly 85 per cent of 249 respondents to an NCVO survey on devolution said their organisation had not contributed in any way to devolution in their area.
The report said: “Our research strongly suggests that the vast majority of the voluntary sector is being sidelined in discussions around devolution in their area.”
It suggests that lack of awareness that devolution is evening happening, lack of engagement by local government, and lack of time and resource are the main barriers to engagement.
NCVO said that frontline organisations were particularly likely to be have been excluded from discussions where they could “provide crucial additional insight”.
The report recommends that HM Treasury and the Department for Communities and Local Government should work with the voluntary sector to develop clear guidance which reflects the five key principles already developed by Navca and Locality.
Too much focus on economic reforms
NCVO said it was concerned that to date there had been too much focus on economic development in devolution deals, and that this had been detrimental to the public services reform agenda.
Wilding said this meant that “some of the potential for reshaping services around community needs and assets is lost”.
Charities need to change
NCVO also said that the voluntary sector needed to be more proactive and more collaborative to get its voice heard.
In the foreword to the report, Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive, said: “Charities too though need to up their game. Power is rarely given; it must be seized. If we are to be listened to then we must ensure that our message chimes with that of our beneficiaries, be evidenced-based, offer solutions and speak as one. It is no good waiting for change to happen.”
The report added that: “Both national and local infrastructure charities (including NCVO) should consider how they can ensure that the voluntary sector is better informed about devolution.”
Nick Davies, public services manager at NCVO and author of the report, said the aim was “to ensure the sector is better informed and that experience, particularly in areas like Manchester where there has been successful in engaging with commissioning authorities are shared”.
The report also says that charitable funders should consider supporting local infrastructure “so that they have the capacity to coordinate engagement or providing seed funding for organisations seeking to develop consortia”.
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