UK’s Public services white paper favours private sector, says UK’s Trades Union Congress > Publishing its response to the coalition’s Open public services white paper today, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) says that there is a gap between the paper’s Big Society ideals and the reality of greater private sector involvement. The TUC says that voluntary sector organisations lost out in an early example of the government’s competition plans. Thirty-five of the 40 main contracts awarded under the government’s Work Programme went to large private businesses such as Serco and A4e, despite ministers saying that it would create more opportunities for the voluntary sector.
European Commission announces plans for €90m social enterprise fund > The fund aims to “facilitate access to funding for start-up, development and expansion of social enterprises” and invest in other funds that invest in the social enterprise world, in a manner similar to Big Society Capital.
Britain’s ‘Big Society:’ Noble experiment in volunteerism or cynical politics? > Other world leaders have kept a close eye on Mr. Cameron’s experiment, and this week Canada announced it would emulate it with a sweeping roster of tax reforms and other measures meant to boost charity’s role in the nation’s social compact. That comes as a bit of surprise, because Mr. Cameron hasn’t made that much progress in his uphill battle to pump up can-do spirit in a country deflated by recession and by cuts that will reduce public-sector spending by 25 per cent.
Federal workers struggle with mantra of ‘doing more with less > Now more than ever, federal workers are being told that they will be expected to do “more with less” for the foreseeable future. But what does a leaner government look like in practice?
”Give us the funds and we can do the job‘ > The third sector should not be seen as a cheap way to deliver public services, argues Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.
Axe begins to fall in public service > Nearly 2000 public servants have been offered big payouts to leave the Queensland government under plans to rein in wages bills. Together union secretary Alex Scott, who represents public servants, said there were real questions over potential impacts on workloads and therefore some community services once the workforce was trimmed.
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