Lisa Nandy, shadow minister for civil society, will promise a raft of measures to grow volunteering as she reveals the results of Labour’s consultation with the voluntary sector later today.

She is also planning measures to increase the freedom of voice in the sector, including scrapping changes to make it harder for charities to bring judicial reviews, gagging clauses in contracts, and measures in the Lobbying Act.

Nandy will also introduce measures to improve pay for charity workers delivering public contracts.

She will promise to put the sector at the heart of Labour policy and that there will be a "new Compact" for the sector.

There will be “no more of the sector being overlooked or ignored in national policy making, glaring omissions in important announcements like the Autumn Statement,” she will say in a speech to NCVO this afternoon.

Labour will introduce a kitemark for businesses that give their employees the right request time off to volunteer, “so that those employees who want to know that the company has a good record can do so, and companies who want to make an asset out of their commitment to volunteering can do so also”.

She will say that a Labour government will “introduce a broader curriculum that gives young people real opportunities to get involved from an early age”.

A Labour government would “devolve power over the Work Programme and skills agenda to city and country regions” with   charities involved in delivering those projects.

Committed to supporting the sector

She will confirm that a Labour government would allow departments to reserve certain contracts for the voluntary sector to prevent the “race to the bottom” situation that has evolved.

A Labour government would also commission a study of pension provision in the sector, “to help inform the work needed to ensure that choosing a career in the voluntary sector doesn’t have to mean choosing a retirement in poverty too”.

Nandy will add that she hopes a Labour government will be able to work with NCVO on establishing standard guidance for volunteers.

As well repealing the Lobbying Act Labour would reverse the changes to judicial reviews that have been introduced by the coalition which she will say “expose charities and others to huge financial risk, and will have a chilling effect on the willingness and ability to challenge”.

New Compact

She will promise to introduce a new “Compact at a local level”. Labour plans to publish a report soon highlighting examples of councils working well with charities.

Labour plans to reinstate regional ministers who would be expected to work closely with the voluntary sector in their region.

Nandy will say Labour is determined to facilitate a "cultural shift".

"Because, just think of the talent charities could unlock if they weren’t caught up in compensating for state failure, too often simply trying to feed families across the country, when you could be working your magic and helping people build on their potential,” she will say.