Rob Preston

2 days ago | civilsociety.co.uk | Rob Preston

Most members of the public would support the NHS commissioning more charity and social enterprise suppliers, according to a new poll. Of the 2,083 people polled by Yonder Consulting on behalf of Skills for Health, 83% said that organisations which prioritise social purpose over profit should be the NHS’s primary partners when it comes to the supply of goods and services.

3 days ago | civilsociety.co.uk | Rob Preston

Councils facing insolvency have been reducing the grants they make to voluntary organisations, according to new research. The Directory of Social Change (DSC) found that UK councils’ grant spending with voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations increased to an estimated £599m in 2023-24. However, it found that the number of grants to VCSEs decreased by around 10% to an estimated 44,212 in 2023-24 following an increase the year before.

4 days ago | civilsociety.co.uk | Rob Preston

The government has expressed frustration over its attempts to release billions of pounds generated from the sale of Chelsea FC in 2022 for charitable causes, and is now threatening legal action. In a joint statement this week, chancellor Rachel Reeves and foreign secretary David Lammy said the government remained determined to see the around £2.5bn of proceeds reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine and was “fully prepared to pursue this through the courts if required”.

4 days ago | civilsociety.co.uk | Rob Preston

Civil society organisations have welcomed a pledge by the government this week to redistribute millions more from long-unused bank accounts to good causes. The government’s first ever dormant assets scheme strategy, published yesterday, included a pledge to divert £440m to social causes in England by 2028, a £90m increase on previously announced figures.

5 days ago | civilsociety.co.uk | Rob Preston

Membership body NCVO has published a job advertisement today for its next chief executive, following the recent announcement of Sarah Elliott’s departure. NCVO has listed the full-time role, based at its London office with hybrid working, with a salary of £160,000. Applicants have until 30 June to apply for the role, with recruitment being overseen by NCVO’s trustees and supported by David Fielding, managing partner of executive recruitment firm Attenti.