Briefing Paper

April 2010

Briefing Paper

A briefing on political party manifestos and

their policies on the third sector

Introduction

Over the days of 13, 14 and 15 April, the leading political parties – Labour,
Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru – unveiled their election
manifestos. The following extracts from each manifesto reveal the pledges
made by all four parties with regard to the voluntary sector.

Labour party manifesto 2010 - extracts

The early years

We want to strengthen parental engagement with Sure Start Children’s
Centres. Some voluntary and third-sector organisations already run networks of
Centres, and we will now pioneer mutual federations running groups of local
Children’s Centres in the community interest.

Older age
The vast majority of older people are well and active, helping to strengthen our
families, communities and wider society. Many charities, voluntary
organisations and schools value and rely on the contribution of older people
and we support the growing number of excellent initiatives creating greater
understanding across the generations. We will continue to support older people
in getting involved in their community by providing matched funding for
community projects.

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The challenge for Britain
To build on the renaissance that British sport, culture and the arts have
enjoyed in the last decade in the new climate of financial restraint. The
voluntary and community sector has a new lease of life, but needs its potential
to be fully harnessed. The Tories have always neglected the arts and sport,
regarding them as an easy target for cuts.

Protecting community life

We will extend the use of participatory budgeting to give local people a
stronger say. Community Land Trusts enable local people to purchase and run
local amenities and assets in their area such as youth facilities, parks and open
spaces. We will promote the transfer of buildings and land to the ownership or
control of voluntary and community groups.

Supporting social enterprise

The Social Investment Bank will make additional capital available to social
enterprises with an initial endowment of £75 million funded by dormant
accounts alongside existing funding streams. We will promote the creation of
more social enterprise hubs in every community – helping more to get off the
ground. We will extend the right of public-sector workers to request that they
deliver frontline services through a social enterprise. Public-sector workers in
the NHS currently enjoy this right. We will extend this to more public services,
including social care, with greater community involvement in their governance.

The new mutualism

There is growing interest in co-operative and mutual organisations that people
trust, and that have the capacity to unleash creativity and innovation, creating
new jobs and services – particularly in disadvantaged neighbourhoods where
traditional approaches have failed in the past. We want to see more local
organisations run on cooperative principles with an expansion of Community
Interest Companies and third sector mutual organisations that reinvest profits
for the public good. We will promote this through the Co-operative Party,
Business Link, enterprise education and the Regional Development Agencies.
To give more people a stake in a highly valued national asset, British
Waterways will be turned into a mutually owned co-operative. We will promote
the use of community shares that support investment in football clubs, pubs,
renewable energy and shops.

A vibrant voluntary sector

Britain has among the highest levels of voluntary membership in the world. We
strongly value the independence of the voluntary and community sector,
including its campaigning role, and will act to maintain it. There will be greater
support for third-sector organisations in competing for public-sector contracts,
ensuring there is a level playing field with the public and private sectors. We
will consult on putting the Compact Commission – which sets guidelines for
effective partnership working between government and the third sector in
Britain – on a statutory footing, and ensure greater support for the Compact at
local level.

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All young people should be active and engaged in their communities, so that it
becomes a normal part of growing up to undertake service in the community.
We are taking forward plans for a National Youth Community Service, with the
goal that all young people contribute at least 50 hours to their communities by
the age of 19, building on citizenship education and community engagement in
schools.

Faith is enormously important to millions of people in Britain, shaping their

values and the way they live. We respect the importance of belief and welcome
the contribution that people of faith make to our communities and society more
widely. We will actively combat extremist groups who promote fear, hatred and
violence on the basis of faith or race.

Welsh Labour party manifesto 2010 - extracts

Putting patients first

We will work with the voluntary sector and expert providers to increase the
availability of home renal dialysis for patients who can be better treated at
home.

We will end the postcode lottery of care for cancer patients by ensuring the
implementation of robust national standards by 2009. Alongside this we will
provide £2 million to fund the core work of voluntary hospices in Wales, the
first time help with running costs has ever been available.

Tackling anti-social behaviour

We intend a radical improvement of the youth service – a national strategy to
ensure local authorities, the voluntary sector and the youth justice service all
work better together to provide young people with the opportunities they
deserve.

Culture and Sport for All

We will implement the recommendations of the Stephens Review into the
future development of the arts in Wales. We will place a statutory obligation on
local councils to promote culture and encourage them to work together and
with other partners in the voluntary and private sectors to deliver high quality
cultural experiences for their communities.

Conservative party manifesto 2010 - extracts

Reduce welfare dependency

Our Work Programme to reduce welfare dependency will be delivered through
private and voluntary sector providers, which will be rewarded on a payment
by results basis for getting people into sustainable work.

Public service reform

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Our public service reform programme will enable social enterprises, charities
and voluntary groups to play a leading role in delivering public services and
tackling deep-rooted social problems.

We will strengthen and support social enterprises to help deliver our public
service reforms by creating a Big Society Bank, funded from unclaimed bank
assets, to provide new finance for neighbourhood groups, charities, social
enterprises and other nongovernmental bodies.

This will provide social enterprises with the start-up funding and support they
need to bid for government contracts or work towards delivering services
under a payment by results model.

Britain has a proud and long-standing charitable tradition, and we are

convinced that the voluntary sector should play a major part in our civic
renewal. We will introduce a fair deal on grants to give voluntary sector
organisations more stability and allow them to earn a competitive return for
providing public services. We will work with local authorities to promote the
delivery of public services by social enterprises, charities and the voluntary
sector.

The National Lottery

We will restore the National Lottery to its original purpose and, by cutting down
on administration costs, make sure more money goes to good causes. The Big
Lottery Fund will focus purely on supporting social action through the voluntary
and community sector, instead of Ministers’ pet projects as at present. Sports,
heritage and the arts will each see their original allocations of 20 percent of
good cause money restored.

Give patients more choice

We will give every patient the power to choose any healthcare provider that
meets NHS standards, within NHS prices. This includes independent, voluntary
and community sector providers.

Fight back against crime

We will fight back against the crime and anti-social behaviour that blights our
communities. We will take steps to reduce the causes of crime, like poverty
and broken families. We will introduce honesty in sentencing and pay voluntary
and private providers to reduce re-offending.

Build the Big Society

We will use the state to help stimulate social action, helping social enterprises
to deliver public services and training new community organisers to help
achieve our ambition of every adult citizen being a member of an active
neighbourhood group. We will direct funding to those groups that strengthen
communities in deprived areas, and we will introduce National Citizen Service,
initially for 16 year olds, to help bring our country together.

Restore our civil liberties

We will scale back Labour’s database state and protect the privacy of the
public’s information. We will introduce a balanced approach to the retention of

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people’s DNA and reform the criminal records system so it protects children
without destroying trust.

Give citizens more power

We need to give people real control over how they are governed, so, with a
Conservative government, any petition that secures 100,000 signatures will be
eligible for formal debate in Parliament.

Give people more power and control over their lives

Our new ‘community right to buy’ scheme will give local people the power to
protect any community assets that are threatened with closure.

We will implement fully the Sustainable Communities Act, and reintroduce the
Sustainable Communities Act (Amendment) Bill as government legislation, to
give people greater information on, and control over, what is being spent by
each government agency in their area.

National Citizen Service

We will introduce new ways to increase philanthropy, and use the latest
insights from behavioural economics to encourage people to make
volunteering and community participation something they do on a regular
basis.

Neighborhood groups
We will develop a measure of well-being that encapsulates the social value of
state action.

We will transform the civil service into a ‘civic service’ by making sure that
participation in social action is recognised in civil servants’ appraisals.

We will launch an annual Big Society Day to celebrate the work of

neighbourhood groups and encourage more people to take part in social action.

Welsh Conservative party manifesto 2010 – extracts

Reduce welfare dependency

We will scrap Labour’s failing employment schemes and create a single Work
Programme for everyone who is unemployed, including the 2.6 million people
claiming Incapacity Benefit who do not get enough help from existing
programmes. Our Work Programme will offer people targeted, personalised
help sooner – straight away for those with serious barriers to work and at six
months for those aged under 25; be delivered through private and voluntary
sector providers, which will be rewarded on a payment by results basis for
getting people into sustainable work.

Public service reform

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Our public service reform programme will enable social enterprises, charities
and voluntary groups to play a leading role in delivering public services and
tackling deep-rooted social problems. We will strengthen and support social
enterprises to help deliver our public service reforms by creating a Big Society
Bank, funded from unclaimed bank assets, to provide new finance for
neighbourhood groups, charities, social enterprises and other nongovernmental
bodies. This will provide social enterprises with the start-up funding and
support they need to bid for government contracts or work towards delivering
services under a payment by results model.

Britain has a proud and long-standing charitable tradition, and we are

convinced that the voluntary sector should play a major part in our civic
renewal. Conservatives in the Assembly will press for a fair deal on grants to
give voluntary sector organisations more stability and allow them to earn a
competitive return for providing public services. We will work with the Welsh
Assembly Government and local authorities to promote the delivery of public
services by social enterprises, charities and the voluntary sector.

The National Lottery

We will restore the National Lottery to its original purpose and, by cutting down
on administration costs, make sure more money goes to good causes. The Big
Lottery Fund will focus purely on supporting social action through the voluntary
and community sector, instead of Ministers’ pet projects as at present. Sports,
heritage and the arts will each see their original allocations of 20 per cent of
good cause.

Fight back against crime

We will fight back against the crime and anti-social behaviour that blights our
communities. We will take steps to reduce the causes of crime, like poverty
and broken families. We will introduce honesty in sentencing and pay voluntary
and private providers to reduce re-offending. With a Conservative government,
when offenders leave prison, they will be trained and rehabilitated by private
and voluntary sector providers, under supervision.

National Citizen Service

Even in these difficult times, the British people have demonstrated their desire
to give money and time to good causes. We will introduce new ways to
increase philanthropy, and use the latest insights from behavioural economics
to encourage people to make volunteering and community participation
something they do on a regular basis.

Build the Big Society

We will use the state to help stimulate social action, helping social enterprises
to deliver public services and training new community organisers to help
achieve our ambition of every adult citizen being a member of an active
neighbourhood group. We will direct funding to those groups that strengthen
communities in deprived areas, and we will introduce National Citizen Service,
initially for 16 year olds, to help bring our country together.

Neighbourhood groups

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 To stimulate social action further, we will provide funding from the Big Society
Bank to intermediary bodies with a track record of supporting and growing
social enterprises.

Liberal Democrat party manifesto 2010 - extracts

Fair treatment at work for everyone

There are far too many barriers to work for people with disabilities. We will
change this by giving disabled job seekers better practical help to get to work,
using voluntary and private sector providers, as well as JobCentre Plus services.
We will also reform Access to Work, so disabled people can apply for jobs with
funding already in place for equipment and adaptation that they need.

Helping families stay strong

Every child deserves a happy life free from poverty and free from fear. Liberal
Democrats will strengthen the Youth Service by making it a statutory service,
and by encouraging local authorities to provide youth services in partnership
with young people and the voluntary sector.

Supporting the voluntary sector

As Liberal Democrats, we are committed to handing power back to local
communities. We believe that society is strengthened by communities coming
together and engaging in voluntary activity, which sets people and
neighbourhoods free to tackle local problems.

Liberal Democrats will support the voluntary sector by:

● Introducing ‘easy giving accounts’ at publicly-owned banks to allow
people to operate charitable giving accounts alongside their current accounts.
● Reforming Gift Aid to operate at a single rate of 23 percent – giving more
money to charity while closing down a loophole for higher rate tax payers.
● Reforming the process of criminal record checking so that volunteers
need only one record that is portable, rather than multiple checks for each
activity.

Supporting mutuals, co-ops and social enterprises

We believe that mutuals, co-operatives and social enterprises have an
important role to play in the creation of a more balanced and mixed economy.
Mutuals give people a proper stake in the places they work, spreading wealth
through society, and bringing innovative and imaginative business ideas to
bear on meeting local needs. We will:
● Give financial regulators a clear objective of maintaining a diversity of
providers in the financial services industry.
● Seek to turn Northern Rock into a building society.
● Give both Royal Mail and post offices a long-term future, by separating
Post Office Ltd from the Royal Mail and retaining Post Office Ltd in full public
ownership. 49 percent of Royal Mail will be sold to create funds for investment.
The ownership of the other 51 percent will be divided between an employee
trust and the government.

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● Encourage community-owned renewable energy schemes where local
people benefit from the power produced.
● Pass a new Mutuals, Co-operatives and Social Enterprises Bill to bring the
law up to date and give responsibility for mutuals to a specific minister.

Freeing schools for excellence

Liberal Democrats want an education system where all schools will have the
freedom to innovate, not be dictated to by central government. Give all schools
the freedom to innovate. We will ensure a level playing field for admissions and
funding and replace Academies with our own model of ‘Sponsor-Managed
Schools’. These schools will be commissioned by and accountable to local
authorities and not Whitehall, and would allow other appropriate providers,
such as educational charities and parent groups, to be involved in delivering
state-funded education.

Restoring your freedoms

Liberal Democrats will protect and restore your freedoms. We will restore the
right to protest by reforming the Public Order Act to safeguard non-violent
protest even if it offends; and restrict the scope of injunctions issued by vested
interests.

Access to culture and sport

Liberal Democrats will reform the National Lottery. We will change the way the
National Lottery is taxed from a ticket tax to a gross profits tax, which is
forecast to deliver more for good causes and the Exchequer.

Plaid Cymru party manifesto 2010 - extracts

Educating the nation

We will campaign for a National Citizenship Service for Wales, a voluntary
scheme in which young people may complete a year of volunteer work before
leaving education. We believe that this will help young people develop a sense
of public duty.

Investing in innovation
Plaid Cymru is fully committed to encouraging the development of community-
owned social enterprises and welcomes the Rowlands review into the provision
of growth capital. That review recognised that a vibrant SME sector is vital for
economic growth. There is a lack of provision for companies looking for
between £2 and £10 million in capital (though we believe that in Wales there
may be a need for a lower threshold).

Plaid’s prescriptions for health

Plaid Cymru calls for all powers over mental health to be devolved to the
National Assembly. We reaffirm our commitment to Community Wellbeing
Centres across Wales and evening surgeries for GPs.