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Voluntary sector independence under threat
The independent voice of the voluntary sector has been seriously compromised in the past 12 months, the Independence Panel, a watchdog of senior charity experts, has said with the release of its latest report. Their report Independence under Threat says that both explicit government actions, and inactions, had had a serious impact on the independence of campaigning charities working with it.
The report says the Government has:
• imposed contractual gagging orders on some charities, stopping them speaking out about government policies or publicly releasing data
• advised local authorities not to fund certain campaigning charities
• failed to carry out its own policies to support the independence of the voluntary sector.
Sir Roger Singleton, the chair of the Independence Panel, says: “Voluntary organisations enjoy widespread support because they are independent and distinctive. It is not just the personalised help they give. It is also their independent voice on behalf of unpopular causes, which is especially important when engagement in mainstream politics is declining. Our investigations show that in the past 12 months, the Government has directly threatened that independence, requiring some charities which carry out work for government departments to toe the government line.
“The government has also failed to live up to its own commitments in The Compact, in which it promises to defend the independence of UK charities. Central and local government funding cuts are fuelling the problem. With less money available, charities are less willing to criticise government actions to protect their survival. Some charities are ‘self-editing’ in order to keep on providing services.
“We are beginning to see voices for some marginalised people being silenced, democracy being eroded and society impoverished.”
For the full report, see Independence Under Threat: the Voluntary Sector in 2013
Also secured widespread media coverage, including Charities afraid to challenge public policy amid retribution fears and Charities’ silence on government policy is tantamount to collusion in the Guardian, Charities ‘gagged from speaking out’ by Government in the Telegraph, Independence of charities is being undermined, says report in Third Sector, and Whitehall ‘trampling’ charities’ freedoms at politics.co.uk