The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has launched a seven-point action plan aimed at saving the Big Society concept in the face of "bad press".
Confronting the barrage of negative publicity the Conservatives' flagship project has received, the NCVO's 'How to rescue the Big Society' plan calls for the government to double the transition fund, extending its scope and scale; modernise and simplify gift aid; and support local government in making long-term strategic decisions, among its recommendations.
Launching the action plan Sir Stuart Etherington, NCVO chief executive (pictured), said: "Big Society has had a bad press this week but our recommendations make clear there are ways for bringing it back from the brink.
"By taking heed of these recommendations it could signal loud and clear that it wants to support voluntary and community organisations to play their full part in delivering the Big Society."
The NCVO's plan was published just as Prime Minister David Cameron delivered a speech this morning promising that it is his "mission in politics" to ensure the Big Society succeeds. He said: "I'm going to fight for it every day, because the Big Society is here to stay."
The NCVO action plan also calls for the government to get behind the private members' bill on public services which will ensure that public service procurement focuses on the social and environmental impact of service provision as well as the financial value of the service. The Bill was tabled by Conservative MP Chris White.
The final recommendations are for an investigation into the feasibility of lifetime legacies as a means of encouraging philanthropy in the UK; for the government to stimulate the social investment market by putting the right tax incentives in place; and for the issue of irrecoverable VAT, which allows tax breaks for private sector organisations but not charities on shared services, to be addressed.
"Now is the time to act," warned Sir Stuart, "otherwise there's a real risk that the organisations at the very heart of Big Society will not survive long enough to see the vision become a reality."
