Civil Society and the Third Sector

The work of building a better Britain has never been confined to government. Up and down the country there are individuals and organisations making a difference to their communities and the country. These contributions reflect the best of our country - hundreds of thousands of diverse organisations and individuals playing their part in the drive to create a fairer society, one in which poverty is eliminated, communities can thrive and individuals are able to use their talents to best effect. Labour will support this work as we recognise that we all have a part to play in making our country a better one for all.

We recognise the increasingly important role played by the third sector – that array of voluntary and community organisations, charities, social enterprises, cooperatives and mutual organisations that are working to make Britain better. Our approach to the third sector will be based on a combination of investment, support and recognition of the valuable role the sector plays.

It is because we believe the third sector has an important role to play in Britain that we are committed to supporting it like never before. We are building on the record investment we have already made with a commitment to invest over £515 million in the current spending round to support the sector’s central role in social and economic regeneration.

We believe that social investment could make a huge difference to the third sector and other organisations with social impact. A vibrant social investment market connects those with the best ideas and capability, to the right kinds of capital and support. We are therefore committed to the development of a strong and sustainable Social Investment Wholesale Bank - a financial institution that would provide vital support to the third sector, work in the interests of society as a whole and harness the power of finance for the common good. We will provide the necessary launch investment for the Social Investment Wholesale Bank from assets recovered from dormant bank accounts.

We will continue to strengthen how government works with the third sector. A refreshed Compact – the agreement we made between national and local government and the sector on how we work together – will help us strengthen how we work together and will be a valuable tool in helping build strong and successful partnerships for years to come.

The third sector is increasingly involved in providing public services, for example:

• New nurse-led practices, run as social enterprises, offer a new model for local healthcare; while Foundation Trust hospitals are mutually owned bodies that are controlled and run locally, giving staff, patients, and local communities a far greater voice in how hospitals are run
• Food co-operatives have emerged in a number of communities, particularly those where residents recognised their were few options for buying fresh produce at decent prices
• In education, our commitment to mutual and co-operative principles can be seen in theway we have pioneered the creation of co-operative trust schools. These provide a framework in which everybody with a stake in the school’s success – parents, teachers and support staff, local community organisations and even pupils – have the opportunity to be involved in running it. There are now 36 co-operative trust schools, with a target of 200 by September this year

We are committed to ensuring the third sector, working in partnership with national and local government, plays an even greater role in the delivery of public services. We have invested in their capacity to compete for, and win, public service contracts.

In our work with the third sector Labour will support the values that they hold dear: independence – embodying people’s right to associate and organise to help themselves and others; social justice – making a difference and promoting lasting change, often through unique and inspirational approaches to traditional problems; social entrepreneurship; diversity; valuing people; sustainability; and a responsive approach to people’s needs. We value and support an active campaigning role for the third sector because believe the issues raised by charities and voluntary organisations, direct from the front line, are a powerful agent of change for the better.

Active citizenship will be at the heart of our approach. This means encouraging people to get involved in society, not just to campaign for the government to effect change but to be active in bringing it about themselves.

We will work for a society where voluntary activity flourishes and where all individuals and communities are enabled to play a full part in civil society. We will continue to work in partnership with the third sector to ensure that volunteering is properly supported and encouraged. We are committed to opening up volunteering opportunities for people in all parts of society. With schemes such as ‘V’ we will create thousands of volunteering opportunities for young people.

We want all young people to be able to participate in at least 50 hours of community action by the time they are 19 to inspire a lifetime of volunteering in young people by ensuring they recognise the opportunity and enjoyment they can experience by giving back to their communities. We will build on the Youth Community Service pilots currently running in five local authorities, the Entry into Employment Programme for 16-19 year olds and the funding we have provided to all secondary schools in England.

We are also committed to supporting local communities and the third sector to work together at a grassroots level. Our new community assets programme, for instance, is delivering grants to refurbish underused community buildings and then place them under third sector control, while our ‘grassroots grants’ programme has already delivered over 13,000 grants and £25m matchfunding of private donations to help local charities build endowments.

Labour’s record:

• Investment in the third sector has more than doubled during Labour’s time in power, from £5.5 billion in 1997 to £12 billion in 2009. And we delivered almost £60 million of funding to support the third sector through the recession. Through the Hardship Fund, for instance, we gave out over £17m to local charities working in health and social care, housing support, education and training or information and advice. Nearly 200 organisations have benefited from grants of £50,000 to £250,000
• Gift Aid donations totalled £4.3 billion in 2008/09 and tax relief through Gift Aid and transitional relief were worth £947 million to charities
• We created the first ever dedicated Minister of State for the Third Sector, and an Office of the Third Sector located in the Cabinet Office, at the heart of Government
• Our Charities Act reformed the law to enable charities to administer themselves more efficiently, improved the regulation of fundraising and reduced regulation
• ‘V’ has opened up volunteering opportunities to 900,000 young people aged 16-24. The London 2012 Olympics will offer 70,000 people the opportunity to volunteer