Following hard on the heals of Ed Miliband trailing the idea of using social clauses in public contracts for services and beyond (see last week), the Office of the Third Sector has launched a survey, ‘Use of Social Clauses’, seeking views on the benefits and barriers to the use of such clauses.

Responses by 30th September. More details and link to survey.

The revised version of Capacitybuilder’s ‘Destination 2014′ strategy for delivering the ChangeUp sector support programme is now available online  It takes account of views expressed during the consultation. In pdf, 717kb (and an odd page size) from http://www.capacitybuilders.org.uk/content/OurStrategy/Destination2014.aspx.

The Capacitybuilders’ board made its final decision on the structure of national support services on 11th July - see their news item. There have been a few changes to the proposals but nothing major.

The first major speech by Hazel Blears as Communities Secretary announced the twenty Community Ownership Demonstration Areas in England to try out the new asset transfer policy, from councils to communities, which will involve up to 40 buildings.

This was attached to the announcement on pilot projects in local ‘participatory budgeting’ - see press notice at http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1002882&PressNoticeID=2453 for the list of the 20 areas.

A £15 million Modernisation Fund to help the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland modernise and prepare itself for the future is open for applications. Grants available will range from £20,000 to £1.5 million, to provide equipment and improve facilities. Information days will be held during July and August, with applications needed by mid October.

To read more about the fund’s focus etc, either see NICVA’s news item at http://www.nicva.org/index.cfm/section/news/key/15million_for_sector or Department for Social Development at http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/news_items/boost-for-vc-sector.htm.

Can the voluntary and community sector help build a more equal society? NAVCA annual conference 2007, Keele University, Staffordshire.

Conference chair: Polly Toynbee, Plenary speaker: Iain Duncan Smith. See conference information.

The legislation to enable the banking industry to transfer unclaimed assets “so that they may be reinvested in society”, which has been the subject of debate over the last year or so, is one the 23 items contained in the Draft Legislative Programme for 2007/8 just announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The announcement itself is an innovation intended to open up what has previously been a tightly controlled process of deciding what appears in the Queens Speech in the autumn.

If you are interested in this change in approach to developing the government’s legislative programme, or other proposed laws, download the full text of ‘The governance of Britain - the Government’s draft legislative programme’, in pdf 183kb, from http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm71/7175/7175.pdf. Or just for the outline of the proposed Unclaimed Assets Bill see http://www.commonsleader.gov.uk/output/page2039.asp.

Do note that as this process is new, and the programme is draft, the final set of new laws for  the next session may differ.

The Northern Ireland Executive has endorsed the ‘Partners for Change’ strategy for government partnership with the voluntary and community sector, to deliver services to those most in need in society. The plan is built on three themes: Building communities and promoting active citizenship, Shaping policy development, Investment in the sector.

While the report was produced in consultation with sector representatives, there is room for comment. Northern Ireland’s umbrella body NICVA has more detail and a link to the strategy document at http://www.nicva.org/index.cfm/section/news/key/ritchie_plan_voluntary_sector (the official news release is at http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/news_items/executive-support-vc-sector.htm).

The Department for Culture Media and Sport has issued revised guidance for local authorities on applying the regulations under the Licensing Act 2003. It includes an expanded section on incidental music, to help them determine whether music falls into this category and is therefore not licensable.

News item, with link, at http://www.culture.gov.uk/Reference_library/Press_notices/archive_2007/dcms078_07.htm.

(Source: Voluntary Arts England newsletter)

Voluntary Arts Network has added two titles to its series of briefings available online, on Annual Reports and how they can be used, and ‘Health and Safety in Offices - Assessing the Risk’. See http://www.voluntaryarts.org/briefings.

The Criminal Records Bureau has produced an online video guide to shed light on the Disclosure process, from why you might need a check and how to go about getting one to receiving the results. It provides a clear and concise explanation of the application process.

In Flash format at http://www.crb.gov.uk/Default.aspx?page=4762.

(Source: VYS Devon newsletter)

The last of its series of fire safety guides, on outdoor events, has been published by the Department for Communities and Local Government: http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1162112.

The full list of guides is at http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1162101.

(From Sandy Adirondack’s legal update)

The Conservative Party’s Social Justice Policy Group has produced its final report and policy recommendations, ‘Breakthrough Britain’. The sixth (and last) volume is focused on the Third Sector, in particular its role in “the fight against poverty” and proposals to support that. Many proposals will find a warm reception across the sector e.g. enshrining the Compact’s principles, including multi-year funding, prompt payment and full-cost recovery, in legislation; making it easier to reclaim Gift Aid by assuming a certain percentage, perhaps 80%, of all individual donations come from taxpayers.

Other proposals will not be as welcome by all of the voluntary sector, such as proposing a “shift from direct to indirect statutory funding”, preventing the accumulation of excessive reserves, funding of volunteering agencies conditional on increasing rates of volunteering among poverty-fighting charities and socially-excluded groups, and possibly controversial and poorly supported statements on discrimination against faith based organisations. The Conservatives leadership doesn’t have to adopt any or all of the proposals and may not make decisions on this until next year, although press briefings (12th July) could give indications.

Both the full 82 page volume (pdf, 493kb) and an executive summary (pdf, 88kb) can be downloaded from http://povertydebate.typepad.com. Sector news coverage includes Charity Finance news alert at http://www.charityfinance.co.uk/charity_news_alert/issue37/tories.asp, and Third Sector at http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/669912/ (registration required).