Local voluntary organisations have a worse relationship with their local authorities and primary care trusts than they did a year ago, according to a Navca survey of chief officers.

This year 28 per cent of respondents said that their relationship with their local authority had worsened compared to 15 per cent in 2010. 

The number of members who said their relationship had improved fell from just under 40 per cent in 2010 to 25 per cent this year with the number of organisations who feel their relationship has remained the same increasing slightly.

Relationships with the PCTs continued on a downward trend with 33 per cent saying that the relationship had worsened this year compared to just fewer than 25 per cent in 2010 and 10 per cent in 2009.

Low enthusiasm for Big Society

The survey also found that members felt increasingly sceptical about the government’s Big Society programme.

Members were asked to rate how enthusiastic they were about Big Society on a scale of one to ten (with ten being the most enthusiastic) and the average rating was 3.52 compared to 4.85 when the same question was asked just after the election.

This year 121 chief officers of Navca members responded to the survey which is about a third of the total membership.