More delivery of public services by charities or social enterprises has been advocated in recent government proposals on reforming welfare and health services. Will increased public funding and a possible change of perception by the general public impact on community and other groups even if not active in this? Will they be expected, officially or due to informal pressure, to report on their work in as much detail as bigger bodies might be required to do, to prove value for money?

In Society Guardian today:

• short item Charities march on Number 10. “Yesterday, a delegation from the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (Acevo) met the prime minister Tony Blair to gauge his resolve on third-sector contracting.”
• An opinion piece from one of the ‘marchers’: Charities reach the fork in the road “From public accountability to legal regulation, we need a revolution in the way charities are run.” …… “Last week’s green paper on welfare reform envisaged a much greater role for the voluntary sector in helping disabled people find work. It was only the latest in a long line of government announcements, from welfare reform to healthcare, to propose the expansion of the sector on a scale that questions its traditional role - no longer additional to mainstream services, but at the heart of them.”

And the Charity Commission has announced a one-day conference on 21st March for charities “to share experiences, solutions and explore the particular needs of charities delivering public services”. See VR’s newsletter or event listings for details soon.