The next government should force every employer to give their employees at least five days each year paid time off to volunteer, according to the NCVO in its general election manifesto just published.

The manifesto, unveiled by NCVO chief executive Stuart Etherington at the organisation’s annual conference yesterday, centres on achieving a ‘good society’ that which promotes fairness and social justice.

The document includes six detailed asks of government:

Sustainable

NCVO’s petition of government starts with a stark warning on climate change, calling it the – “biggest challenge facing us”. It urges government and civil society to take forward recommendations of the Third Sector Task Force on Climate Change, the Environment and Sustainable Development.

It calls on all sectors to reduce their own carbon emissions, with government taking the lead internationally to ensure commitments are kept.

It also asks the government to pursue sustainable procurement and commissioning, invest in public transport and cycling and waking paths, and invest in renewable energy sources, with increased opportunities for community ownership these assets.

Further, communities and civil society must develop strategies to address climate change at national, regional and local levels.

But NCVO asserts that response to climate change must be ‘socially just’ and calls for positive action to be taken to ensure that the poorest communities are not disproportionally affected and action on the latest global campaign for a Robin Hood tax – a 0.05 per cent tax on wholesale financial transactions to fund action on climate change.

Empowered

NCVO asks government empower all communities, especially the marginalised and disadvantaged, to speak up about their needs.

It urges the government to exploit online-debates more, but also ensure there is no “digital divide” and that all parts of society can access social media.

It also insists that the right of civil society to campaign – within the law – must be respected and encouraged. Further, it says counter-terrorism powers should not be used to limit peaceful protest and policing of protests must be proportionate.

Engaged

NCVO calls on government to create a Community Day bank holiday to encourage community engagement, along with at least five days a year paid time off for volunteering.

It also asks for local community assets to be transferred into community ownership, local volunteer centres to be properly funded and councils to set out clearly and be publically accountable on their support for the CVS sector.

Fair

NCVO centres on banks, calling on them to give everyone access to finance, create more mutuals, co-operatives and credit unions and be independently scrutinised. 

It also urges government to introducing a Community Reinvestment Act, requiring all financial institutions to reinvest a proportion of their profits in activities that provide community benefit.

NCVO repeats the sector’s relentless call for a simpler Gift Aid process. It also calls for an independent Social Investment Wholesale Bank, but insists government must offer mixed funding of grants and contracts.

Further, it wants 100 per cent of Big Lottery Funding to go to civil society, and asks for the taxation on lottery tickets sales to be reviewed after the Olympics.

Wellbeing

NCVO asks for public services to be commissioned and delivered in partnership with communities; and smaller groups to be enabled to bid for contracts.

It also asks government to explore new approaches to funding, such as Social Impact Bonds and a national VAT compensation refund scheme to refund the VAT input costs of charities.

Resilient

NCVO ends its manifesto by asking for a Department for Civil Society within government and a stronger Compact, with limited powers for the Commission for the Compact. It also calls for a European Compact, and a greater understanding of civil society in Europe.

Other manifestos

The election manifestos of Navca, the Institute of Fundraising, CFDG and the Social Enterprise Coalition are summarised in the March edition of Charity Finance magazine and online here.

• See Gareth Jones' blog about this story

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NCVO election manifesto: Five days paid time off to volunteer

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Directory: Charity Finance | Charity Finance Directors' Group (CFDG) | Commission for the Compact | Institute of Fundraising | National Association of Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) | National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)
Who's Who: Sir Stuart Etherington