Civil society plans ‘a timid, tick-box exercise’, says shadow charities minister

Steve Reed accuses the government of attempting to cover up its neglect of the sector

The government’s plan to develop a civil society strategy is a timid tick-box exercise, according to the shadow minister for civil society.

In a statement released this morning, Steve Reed accused the government of neglecting the sector and said it was attempting to cover this up.

Tracey Crouch, the Minister for Civil Society, today announced plans to develop a strategy through a listening exercise that will begin next year.

But Reed said charities would have little faith in the “timid” strategy, particularly after the government rejected the recommendations of Lord Hodgson’s review of the lobbying act.

“This civil society strategy is little more than a tick-box exercise to cover up the government’s total neglect of the sector,” said Reed.

“It doesn’t take a year-long review to find out that demoting the civil society brief from a powerful, cross-department position in the Cabinet Office was always going to leave the sector isolated.”

Gemma Walpole, chief executive of the small charity the Norfolk Family Mediation Service, welcomed the announcement that the strategy would explore how charities could collaborate.

“It’s really good news,” she said. “But small charities are already doing lots of collaborative work on how to be more effective together, so I hope that the strategy listens to small charities and takes into account work that has already been done, rather than duplicating it.”

Andrew O’Brien, director of policy and engagement at the Charity Finance Group, said it was important that the strategy was backed up by funding and a “beefed-up” Office of Civil Society to implement it.

“Without this, any strategy has the risk of becoming merely words on paper and having no impact on the operating environment for charities,” he said.

“Given the tough times ahead, we cannot afford to waste the potential of the sector.”

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations, the charity leaders body Acevo and the Association of Charitable Foundations all welcomed Crouch’s announcement.

Karl Wilding, director of public policy and volunteering at the NCVO, said: “Making sure voluntary organisations are valued and supported by the government will mean they can do even more across society.”

He said the consultative approach set out by the minister was right to get the best results.

Vicky Browning, chief executive of Acevo, said: “It’s good to see Tracey Crouch’s commitment to producing a civil society strategy that will protect the sustainability of the vital work our sector does.”

She said she hoped the strategy would “provide a platform to support and develop our sector and its impact in the years ahead”.

The strategy proposal has also been welcomed by those representing small civil society organisations.

Mandy Johnson, chief executive of the Small Charities Coalition, said: “I’m genuinely excited about it. Tracey Crouch has a track record, having developed a similar strategy in her role as sports minister, which seems to be going well.

“My only concern is that she is talking to the right people, not just those with the money, and recognises that 97 per cent of the charity sector is the little guys.”

Tony Armstrong, chief executive of the community charity Locality, said the strategy needed to focus on how government could harness the power of community by providing more support for community organisations.

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Jersey lifeboat crew plans to break with the RNLI

The coxswain of the St Helier lifeboat, Andy Hibbs, was sacked and then reinstated by the parent charity for allegedly breaking the code of conduct

An RNLI crew has said it plans to break away from the national body and set up its own independent lifeboat service after a long-standing dispute.

Members of the St Helier lifeboat service on Jersey said they had been subject to unacceptable treatment by the RNLI and planned to go it alone.

The dispute appears to have begun in April after Andy Hibbs, coxswain of the St Helier lifeboat, was sacked by the RNLI for allegedly breaching the charity’s code of conduct, reportedly after being accused of launching a lifeboat to help a broken-down vessel without permission from the coastguard.

This led to all of Hibbs’ 25-strong crew resigning and public protests at the decision, before the charity reinstated him after a review and apologised.

But in a statement on Facebook this week, Hibbs said he and his crew had decided to split from the national body because of “unacceptable treatment”.

“It is with a deep heart that myself and our entire crew have made the decision tonight to step away from the RNLI and to pursue the option of setting up an independent lifeboat in St Helier,” he wrote.

“The way we have been treated over the last year is unacceptable. This is not just a local problem, but a national one. Many UK stations have been in contact saying the treatment we have received is not an isolated problem and that other stations are also going through this treatment.

“Sadly we cannot go on like this any longer. It affects not only us but also all of our families. This has been going on for months and I feel we deserve a lot more respect from an organisation for whom we risk our lives, give up our evenings, weekends and our family time.”

Leesa Harwood, director of community lifesaving and fundraising at the RNLI, said: “After listening to the volunteers at St Helier lifeboat station, who have said they would like to explore the option of setting up an independent lifeboat station, the RNLI is now considering the best way forward. Representatives from the RNLI will return on Friday to agree the next steps.”

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Charlie Gard’s parents announce plans to found a charity in his memory

Chris Gard and Connie Yates say they will use the money raised to pay for their son late Charlie’s treatment to support other children with rare diseases

The parents of Charlie Gard, the baby at the centre of a high-profile legal battle, say they are planning to start a charity with the money they raised for his treatment.

Charlie Gard died on 28 July a week short of his first birthday, as a result of a rare condition called mitochondrial depletion syndrome.

His parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, had raised £1.3m via the fundraising platform GoFundMe to take him to America for experimental treatment, but Great Ormond Street Hospital, which was treating the baby, objected, saying the treatment was unlikely to help. Gard and Yates appealed to the High Court against a ruling that treatment should be withdrawn and that Charlie should be allowed to die, but eventually conceded that nothing could be done for him.

Today in a statement on their campaign website, Gard and Yates thanked donors for their support and announced their plans for the money which had been donated.

“In the following weeks we will be setting up The Charlie Gard Foundation: a foundation that will help other children with mitochondrial diseases, and rare childhood illnesses,” the statement said.

The charity will fund research on rare medical conditions, as well as providing information for parents in a similar situation on parental rights and the availability of treatment and expert clinicians.

The statement said: “All existing donations from our GoFundMe fundraising account – and any new donations – will now go towards Charlie’s foundation.”

Go Fund Me has contributed an extra £10,000 to the fund, the statement said, describing the donation as “a wonderful gesture”.

The statement said: “We feel that the foundation will be a lovely legacy for Charlie, and we hope that you will all continue to support us in honouring the life of our little warrior as he helps other poorly children and their families.”

A GoFundMe spokeswoman confirmed its donation but declined to comment further. 

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