cadence comments about vcf sector

22 Nov 2010

Cuts to voluntary sector - what to do?

There are reports of 40% reductions in local authority voluntary and community budgets over the next 4 years. There are lots of similar stories at the moment. This one is from Regeneration and Renewal and was highlighted by the fabulous 'Society daily' email. Cadence Works are working with organisations who are not just bracing themselves, but are trying to prepare ... more

19 Oct 2010

Building a Stronger Civil Society

The government has published a document called Building a Stronger Civil Society. It has 3 main bits: 1) it explains what it sees as the opportunities for the third sector 2) it explains what support they might offer 3) it initiates a consultation on the issues... more

2 Jul 2010

Not all cuts are the same

There is no disagreement that there needs to be cuts to public spending, but that is where the agreement stops. What to cut, when to cut it and why to cut are all areas of conflict across and within political parties, the media and institutions like think tanks. We have discussed here in the past the dangers of cutting without understanding which bits of a system help and which hinder. The new government, understandably, talks about cutting out the waste that the last government created. Nobody can argue with cutting waste, but defining what is waste is not easy ... more

25 Mar 2010

Total Place report opportunities

The final report on the Total Place pilots has been released. The headline is the chance of a 'single offer' for the best performing areas. That area will get less money, but more freedom. That really puts the emphasis on delivering better for less ... more

17 Mar 2010

Total place, consultation and 3rd sector projects

Cadence have recently started 3 new pieces of work which refllect how our approach works across a number of different areas. One bit is looking at the implications of the Total Place initiative. We have been following TP since our work on innovation ... more

10 Feb 2010

3rd sector mixed messages

The unique skills and community benefits of the third sector must not be overlooked by councils looking to improve local public services, Communities Secretary John Denham said today. Voluntary organisations and charities are overwhelmed with demand for their services, but funding cuts are making it hard for them to keep up, plan for the future and prove their true worth (Public magazine). In the same Denham press release he adds: "In the quest for leaner more efficient services we still need to find ways for councils to take advantage of the positive social outcomes the third sector provides." ... more

28 Jan 2010

3rd sector and efficiency - baths and babies

Council taxpayers will be intolerant if told front lines services are being cut back when their local authority hasn’t made every effort to be as efficient as possible, Communities Secretary John Denham warned this week. He also said that councils shouldn’t ignore the social outcomes the third sector can provide such as jobs for the workless or better services, in the stampede the hunt down the cheapest deal ... more

4 Jan 2010

2020 about 2010

Over the festive season the media is full of reviews of the previous year, which morph into predictions for the coming year as the holiday progresses. Some revisit previous predictions and admit that their visions for the year were somewhat less than 20:20 ... more

2 Jul 2009

Sheffield VCF Review events

Consultation events notes for the Sheffield VCF Review have been made available... more

2 Jun 2009

Sheffield VCF Review events

Consultation events for the 2009 Sheffield VCF Review have been announced - dates and venues are available ... more