The Scout Association is organising its first ever day of action at the Houses of Parliament on St Swithun’s Day, 15th July, to ask assistance from MPs in the campaign against the changes in charges for surface water run off. See http://www.scout.org.uk/water.

Previously charity/community premises had not been charged as much as commercial properties for this service by the water utilities, with billing based on rateable value. The new approach is based on drainage surface area. More on the “Rain Tax” at http://www.dontdrainus.org.

Following from the government’s Digital Britain report, there is a consultation on three proposals around community radio:
- a one-off five-year extension of community radio licences.
- to re-visit the rationale for the current restriction of fifty per cent funding from any one source.
- removing prohibition of licensing a community radio station if it would overlap with a local commercial service with a coverage area of 50,000 adults or less.

Runs to 25th August, http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/consultations/6213.aspx.

A Scottish campaign based on the Irish Ideas Campaign, where 5000 ideas were generated in one month to help regenerate the Irish economy, has been started by social employers body EVH.

Not just about generating employment but also stimulating activity across the community, Community Ideas Campaign is at http://communityideascampaign.socialgo.com.

A short guide to support campaigning by community and voluntary organisations is based on findings from 8 regional events. It shows why campaigns matter to the sector, even if they aren’t always given that label, what support bodies can do to help, and some useful pointers, such as a 90 minute work-out on how to plan a successful campaign. Definitely some good stuff.

‘Campaigning is OK! they may not always like it, but it gets things done’ is available from various sources - for instance see news item at http://www.e-c-a.ac.uk/news/63/ or download (pdf, 1.69MB) http://static.novas.org/files/campaigningisok-456.pdf.

A Carers Direct hotline has been launched (for England only?) as a one-stop information and advice service for carers looking after ill, frail or disabled friends and relatives. Phone 0808 802 0202, or see http://www.nhs.uk/carersdirect.

There is also a training course, Caring with Confidence, available face-to-face, online and by distance learning, http://www.caringwithconfidence.net.

(News item at http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=403130&NewsAreaID=2)

Recent guidance from the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) sets out the basis on which community and other non-commercial events can be charged for the costs of policing.

The guidance is within a larger document setting out policy, ‘A Guide to Income Generation in England and Wales’, available at http://www.acpo.police.uk/policies.asp.

(Source: Voluntary Arts England newsletter)

A new initiative being run by the Eden Project aims to bringing communities together and has the support of a number of organisations including sector infrastructure umbrella body NAVCA. The idea of The Big Lunch is that on 19th July as many of the 61 million people in the UK as possible will simultaneously sit down to lunch together, with their neighbours, in the middle of their street.

NAVCA news item at http://www.navca.org.uk/news/biglunch.htm, or go direct to http://www.thebiglunch.com.

A new survey explores the extent to which the third sector, across the UK, is making use of the Freedom of Information rights as part of research project being undertaken by Strathclyde University, which hopes to help improve the sector’s access to (public) information.

The short online survey is at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=8Or_2b2yylrP_2bV_2flxnI20EnA_3d_3d.

(Source: OSCR Reporter newsletter)

The City Parochial Foundation and the New Policy Institute have created a new web site, London’s Poverty Profile at http://www.londonspovertyprofile.org.uk, as “the first independent, comprehensive source of information about poverty and inequality in the capital”.

They expect that charities working in this area will make use of this resource in putting together funding applications (see Third Sector news item, http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/907735/).

Humanitarian Accountability Partnership, the quality assurance scheme for humanitarian (disaster relief) agencies, has published its 2008 Humanitarian Accountability Report. While progress is being made, concerns expressed include the mixed quality of much information provided by agencies and the widespread failure to facilitate the right of beneficiaries to complain.

Third Sector has a news item at http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/906091/ (registration required), or download the report (pdf, 2.75MB) from http://www.hapinternational.org/pool/files/2008-humanitarian-accountability-report.pdf.

The government has set up an Innovators Council “made up of creative thinkers from public services, charities and businesses to help drive public service reform fast-track ideas generated by frontline staff and citizens to deliver better and more efficient services.

An initial call for ideas has a 5th June deadline - see the Council web site at http://www.hmg.gov.uk/innovation.aspx or go direct to http://www.publicexperience.com to post practical suggestions. Those on the Council include David Harker of Citizens Advice and Turning Point’s Lord Victor Adebowale. Cabinet Office news release.

With the European elections coming up, Third Sector magazine has a feature on “the importance of the EU and how its institutions affect the sector’s affairs”, at http://thirdsector.co.uk/news/Article/904673/Putting-voluntary-sector-EU-map/ (registration required).