By Richard Johnstone | 2 September 2011
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has called on councils to give at least three months’ notice of any funding cuts to charities in a bid to protect them from disproportionate reductions.
In what the Department for Communities and Local Government called a ‘new deal’, councils are being advised not to pass on larger reductions to their local voluntary and community sector, and small businesses, than they face themselves.
Pickles announced the guidance as part of changes to the advice given to local authorities on how to meet their duty on Best Value in service provision.
DCLG has replaced 56 pages of statutory guidance with one page. This will be issued to all Best Value authorities, which includes all councils plus a range of other organisations including police, fire, waste and transport authorities.
The three-month notice period is the minimum required in the National Compact agreement between government and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, which governs relations between public bodies and civil society organisations in England.
Central government departments have already signed up to provide this notice, and Pickles said that he wanted to ensure a ‘fair deal’ for charity and voluntary groups.
‘That’s why I’m introducing new guidance on councils to consider how they fulfil the Best Value Duty for their communities, not just in stark money terms but also in terms of the wider benefits to residents above and beyond the services that these organisations provide,’ he said. ‘And in return, I’m cutting reams of red tape that in the past have hampered council efforts to get their important work done.’
A survey published last month by the NCVO’s Compact Voice group found that only 4% of local authorities indicated that they had made cuts with less than three months’ notice. However, some respondents made reference to notice being provided as advance warning that cuts were possible, but not to specific reductions.
The new guidance also states there is no need for councils to undertake lifestyle or diversity questionnaires of their residents, which ministers want to see end.
Pickles added that the ‘last thing councils should be doing’ is sending out questionnaires to residents that ask questions about religious beliefs, sexual orientation and ethnicity, following requests to use local services.
‘Local
residents shouldn’t be asked to reveal detailed personal information just
because they've enquired about getting their bins emptied or how to join their
local library.
‘Clamping down on such town hall activity will save taxpayers’ money and
protect the privacy of residents of all backgrounds.’
