Presentation to the Association of Global Nonprofit Associations, this is the contribution to a discussion on the gloabl environment for civil society AGNA is a group hosted by CIVICUS.

1. Status on laws which either enable
or prevent civil society input on
policy
Karl Wilding
NCVO Public Policy
July 2012
www.ncvo-vol.org.uk
www.twitter.com/karlwilding

2. Context: the Compact years
• All political parties interested in the third sector
and/or civil society
• (Note third sector includes social enterprise)
• Much of the current landscape and infrastructure
is post 1997/98
• i.e. New Labour and the Compact
• May 2010: major change in the landscape…

3. Context: the Compact years
• Significant increases in resources, esp
earned income
• Volunteering & giving flat
• Winners and losers: „Tescoisation‟
• 2008/09: the end of the NICE decade
– aka „Peak Funding‟

4. Framing the relationship
For charities:
• Charity law: Charity Commission („Horizontal
issues‟)
• Company law (CLGs): Companies House
• Industry-specific regulation („Vertical issues‟)
• Tax law & regulation: HMRC
• Many other areas
Other civil society organisations:
• Eg Industrial & Provident Societies

5. Permanent revolution?
• 1998 – The Compact
• 1999 – Charity Tax Review
• 2002 – Treasury Cross Cutting review
• 2003 – Treasury guidance for funders
• 2005 – Futurebuilders England
• 2005 – ChangeUp/CapacityBuilders
• 2006 – Charities Act
• 2007 - Treasury Cross Cutting review, OTS
• 2010 – OCS, revised Compact (twice)
• 2011 – Unshackling Good Neighbours
• 2012 – Charities Act Review

6. Underlying issues...
• Role and purpose of voluntary action: public
benefit
• Resources: people, assets, funding,
resilience
• Independence and interdependence: too
close to government?
• Modernisation; being a „sector‟
• Distinctiveness: blurred boundaries,
emergence of social enterprise

7. The Coalition: differences in direction
Some significant differences in detail and
priority from the last 13 years
 More emphasis on small charities
 Social action: furthered by social norms (nudges)
or targets and regulation?
 Public services: open, transparent, results-
oriented, level playing field
 Less favourable towards campaigning
 Resources: from funding to financing

8. And, you know, there is no such thing as society. There
are individual men and women, and there are families. And
no government can do anything except through people, and
people must look to themselves first. It's our duty to look after
ourselves and then, also to look after our neighbour.

9. The Big Society: big
confusion?
• de
“....where people in their everyday lives...don‟t always turn to
officials, local authorities or central government for answers to
the problems they face...but instead feel both free and powerful
enough to help themselves and their own communities.”

10. Challenges ahead
Source: www.flickr.com/photos/23950335@N07/5506637899/

11. Where next?
• The ideological environment: revising ideas about the
role of the state and what charity is for?
• The legal environment: charities act review
• The regulatory environment: lighter touch (or lower
cost?)
• The tax environment: greater scrutiny/challenge
• The financial environment: cutting public spending,
expanding social finance
• The service delivery environment: ideas about who
and how to deliver services and what make them
accountable