Sally Young says that northern charities are still struggling as a result of cutbacks in state funding.

For a number of years Newcastle CVS has been carrying out studies with local voluntary and community organisations on 'the state of the sector'. We have broadened them to include not just the issues that impact on charitable/not-for -profit organisations but on the communities and people we support. Although many of the issues that impact on our local organisations are probably no different to elsewhere – cutbacks in state funding, especially for charities offering vital support into work, as commissioners favoured larger organisations,  short term contracts and a loss of independence through contract funding - there is an increasingly common theme for our communities. This is the issue of welfare reform.
 
Our office is the centre of Newcastle and you can see the entrance in 'I, Daniel Blake'. Like many other local groups we provided information and true stories to Ken Loach. The food bank is a Newcastle CVS member. We recognise many of the volunteers and actors. I'm saying this not to boast of a 'celebrity connection', but to affirm the realities of what was portrayed.

The North East has some of the best health care yet some of the most poorly populations, with long-term industrial illnesses, high levels of smoking and drinking and rates of mental illness.  The Bedroom Tax is determined nationally but in the North East there are insufficient single-bedroom properties in many areas and people don’t want to leave their neighbourhoods. Work can increase self-respect, confidence as well as income. But there are many people who can’t achieve this because of long-term disabilities, anxiety and conditions, and caring commitments. There are insufficient properly paid, secure jobs. Bouncing in and out of employment and having to wait 4-6 weeks for benefit payments just adds to instability and insecurity.
 
In the last 30 years, the key jobs in the North East of England have not been those of the coal mines, shipyards and heavy industry but instead an increasing number of public sector roles. The shrinkage of the state in the years since 2010 has caused a loss of these jobs and the only new roles seem to be in our 'coffee society', catering and retail - our increasing service sector. Often these are filled by middle class students, creating further displacement.
 
So could devolution offer a genuine opportunity to 'take back control'? - a much abused phrase at the moment. Is there a North East identity or are we just that awkward space between Scotland and the North Sea? Do we have a recognised culture? Could devolution offer us a genuine opportunity to define our own priorities? As a region that has generally voted Labour but hadn't benefitted from this loyalty, there are few crumbs of comfort from Conservative governments.

 I admit to being a founder member of the unsuccessful Campaign for North East Assembly. I still believe we got roundly trounced because we were not able to offer sufficient power, and we were described as another layer of government and bureaucracy. And nobody ever votes for more government.
 
So the key questions for me in devolution are around power, control and democracy. Is it a genuine shift of power and resources from Whitehall to local decision makers? Is it a mechanism to impose unwanted mayors? How will local communities, who are so far away from the levers of power, have their say? Our elected politicians can't even agree on it, and there are different proposals across the region, with some areas opting out completely.
 
Now there are new proposals around inclusive growth, but still minimal engagement, let alone involvement, of the voluntary and community sector. We are told that government is interested only in the business perspective, well what about the people perspective? 
 
A democratically elected authority with powers and resources around jobs, investment and training and access to national charitable funding could be interesting. But it is unlikely. Instead there are concerns that Combined Authorities could lead to unnecessary scale and the move towards (even larger) contracts rather than useful grants that support local organisations.
 
A Shared Society surely means sharing the power, wealth and resources and investing in those communities furthest away from control over their own destinies. Until we reach this nirvana, it is up to the rest of us to advocate and speak up for the poorest, most disadvantaged and vulnerable people and communities.

Sally Young is chief executive of Newcastle Council for Voluntary Service

This blog was originally written for the think tank Civil Exchange, as part of a programme of work around its report, A Shared Society? The independence of the voluntary sector in 2017