At a time when the public sector is having to cut back and when so many people are feeling the pinch, our local voluntary groups can be found quietly trying to fill the gaps. No trendy slogans, rebranding or expensive logos. Just hard work, commitment and dedication.
The Labour Government has never understood this. What they cannot control, Labour seeks to diminish and sideline. Even worse, volunteers are now spending too much time filling in repetitive forms ‘bidding’ for money from the taxpayer, in order to do a job that the taxpayer could not do without.
The state cannot, now or in the future, provide the level of care and activity provided by our volunteers. This week’s announcement that a Conservative Government will support the work of children’s hospices is a recognition that the state must work with, and not against, the work of the volunteers.
At this time of year, many of the groups I have visited are in demand more than ever – the Wirral Ark for the homeless (and who have written a piece for my blog) or the pensioners lunch clubs. The recession is increasing demand for services for impartial debt advice from credit unions or help for those feeling the pinch.
In Wallasey, some of the groups I have visited have been suspicious of why a prospective MP would want to meet them. Yet how can anyone who aspires to be an MP for a community not need to know about the work that goes on, day in, day out?
Most of my visits have been ‘off camera’, usually just with me and a local councillor. It also means I can have in depth conversations with residents that would not be possible in a door-to-door survey.
I have never ceased to be amazed by the work they do, here are three examples from what is happening in Wallasey and Moreton which could, no doubt, be repeated in every constituency:
- Take the group that provides a break for young carers. Children who are looking after their parents or siblings who need some time to themselves but can’t always get it at home.
- The local branch of the Lifeboats which, in Wallasey, is literally a lifeline to anyone caught out by the tides in the Liverpool Bay and River Mersey.
- The domestic violence centre that doesn’t want headlines but does want the support of the Home Office, which in turn helps with some of the many targets on the Home Office.
- The community lunch club in an area of multiple deprivation which gives some of the older residents the chance of a hot meal but which meets in a community centre threatened by Council cuts.
One of the first groups I visited was the local amateur boxing club which provides discipline, fitness training and respect to young people in a non-contact sport. We were so impressed by this group that we made it our social action project. So far, we have helped them to raise £6,000.
Our party’s plans to help the volunteers include reforming Gift Aid, ending the misuse of the National Lottery funds, creating a single website for grant information and tackling the red tape the Government has piled onto them since 1997.
It’s not always about money; many of the groups I have met simply want the recognition they deserve, fewer barriers when dealing with the ‘state’ and less assumption by those in power that any cuts to statutory services can automatically be compensated for by them, often without any kind of consultation among those affected.
The work of the CVS also needs to be recognised and appreciated. Since I was selected, I have met with the Chief Executive of the Wirral CVS several times and listened to her views and suggestions and I was pleased to share with her our policy paper on volunteering.
Last month, I invited the groups I have visited so far to a drinks reception at Wallasey Town Hall. It was my opportunity to thank them for sharing with me their work and also a chance for them to meet like minded and dedicated members of our community. The volunteers are driven by a determination for their cause, they remain positive (often in the face of adversity) and are, on the whole, cheerful and optimistic about the future.
As David Cameron has said, there is such a thing as society, it’s just not the same thing as the state. There is so much work to do, and, regardless of which ‘sector’ Labour thinks we are in, we are all in this together!
( 6 comments ) Tags: carers, charities, domestic violence, lifeboats, voluntary, volunteering, Wallasey and Moreton
Comment by Fred Edwards on December 26, 2009 at 6:30 pm
A moment of caution ! I am a long serving party member and seen many past mistakes in this area.
The voluntary / charity sector are all good people but…….they are nearly all run as a BUSINESS now. Advice, have a closer look at their organisational structures and finance procedures ! The Labour party only get involved in this area when they have to !
Comment by Ruth O’Hare on December 26, 2009 at 6:56 pm
As someone running a local community group I’m not sure that I like being referred to as part of a ‘sector’ which includes big ‘charities’ like the NSPCC which spend vast sums advertising themselves and the rest of the time rubber stamping Labour party social policies.
One thing small groups like ours could do with is more help with finding an affordable and suitable venue.
Comment by Ray Turner on December 27, 2009 at 10:40 am
This needs to be balanced. At a time when there are millions of unemployed and people are struggling to make ends meet, it seems to me that there are a lot of organisations expecting people to work for nothing.
We’re actually heading towards DIckensian times again, where many people work long hours for little or no pay, whilst the “bosses” make a small fortune for themselves…
Pingback by Over on the Blue Blog.. « Leah Fraser on December 27, 2009 at 12:02 pm
[...] Blog, voluntary groups by Leah Fraser The Blue Blog, on the national Conservative Party website, carries a piece today on the importance of our local voluntary and community groups. I wrote it following our recent [...]
Comment by Stephen Oliver on December 31, 2009 at 12:43 pm
As one of the other readers noted, the “third” sector is extremely broad and varied – there is a risk in making broad generalisations.
I have been a trustee of a major regional children’s hospice for the last 5 years. It is incorporated and is one of the most professionally run organisations of any kind I have ever come across. It generates a growing proportion of its income from delivering commissioned specialised care services to the PCTs and social services, and about 15% from unrestricted grant sources including section 64 funding. Being a charity with around 75% of its income coming from public donations gives it the freedom to orient its services to the areas of greatest need, free of the straight jacket of public health sector strategy, but in many ways is ancillary to the core objectives of the organisation.
It is hard to compare this to local community projects like the social enterprise scheme that I am getting involved in within Cambridge or the local care groups that another reader describes. The funding needs and linkages are very different.
There are specific policy areas that the next Conservative government will need to prioritise, such as undoing the damage done to the charity sector in general through the introduction of a subjective “public benefit” test.
However the biggest issues confronting the third sector are generic and not specific to charity law. Issues like employment law, health and safety, CRB and other public overheads all have a negative impact which weighs unfairly against any small organisation, be it a community care group or a small business.
That said, it is important to engage with these organisations now and to try to understand what their concerns and issues are. THe election could be as close as three months from now and there is an immense amount of work to do translating broad policy into implementable strategy and plans.
Comment by What the bleep on February 22, 2010 at 5:43 pm
voluntary groups are really the backbone of charitable institutes