Conservative Party – Voluntary Action in the 21st century – 20 pledges
The Conservative Party consultation paper on the voluntary sector, Voluntary Action in the 21st Century, outlines its agenda to expand the role and influence of voluntary organisations.
Including measures to:
- Increase volunteering
- Encourage more charitable giving
- Allow the voluntary sector to compete on an equal footing with the private sector
- Make government contracting of the voluntary sector less burdensome
- Create a network of Social Enterprise Zones
“We want to eradicate poverty and extend opportunity. … strengthen the security experienced by all our communities. … create a society in which the talents and potential of everyone are cherished and nurtured. .. It requires collective action – people coming together to make a difference.”
The Sustaining Grants campaign’s case for grant funding of the voluntary sector is strongly supported. It also supports a Social Investment Bank and proposes a major increase in voluntary sector provision of public services through longer term contracts, so that public funding for the sector will substantially increase from the current 2% of public spending, and will allow voluntary services.
It strongly supports the growth of social enterprise, community interest companies and cooperatives.
Find out more by downloading the 20 pledges document.
