Charity sector leaders have been urged not to be “co-opted” by the new Labour government and instead to challenge its policies independently.
Speaking at an event on Wednesday, former Lloyds Bank Foundation chief executive Paul Streets said the sector now has “more access” to ministers than in the previous Conservative government but warned that “access is not power”.
“The risk with access is we become co-opted by a government that we are ideologically quite sympathetic to, and co-option is a problem to us,” he said.
“It’s easier when we have the Tories in power and we’re in outright opposition. We know they don’t agree with anything we say, we’re in complete opposition to them.
“How do we work with a government that ideologically may be very sympathetic to what we do?”
Beatrice Stern, NCVO’s government affairs lead, also said charity leaders should be “aware of the risks” when engaging with the new government.
“There’s always the chance we might get co-opted, our mission diluted in the process of collaboration,” she said.
“We need to protect our independence and make sure our values stay intact. This is where our leadership is most critical, finding that balance between cooperation and advocacy, partnership and autonomy.
“Working with a new government can bring a change in tone and approach – we might see more openness, a willingness to pilot new initiatives and a drive to address long-standing issues with fresh energy.
“Yet it’s also the time when we must be prepared to challenge policies that don’t align with our principles or that fail to serve the most vulnerable in our society.”
‘Promising signs’
Streets and Stern both said there had been some positive indications from the Labour government since the general election in July.
At the event hosted by Bayes Business School, Stern said: “We’ve seen early indicators of policy positive change.
“There’s talk of increased funding for social programmes, greater emphasis on mental health services, and renewed focus on community development.
“These are all promising signs, but we know from experience that promises must translate into action. This is where our role as leaders is indispensable.”
Meanwhile, Streets said the “mood music feels better” under the new government.
He said: “We are seeing a bit more talk about housing and a little bit about poverty. We had Angela Rayner championing that. There are some things we can optimistic about.”
However, he added that the post-election honeymoon period “is already definitely over”.
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