[WiLT] Local organisations are unhappy with ChangeUp, survey reveals

[WiL Admin]

Local organisations are unhappy with ChangeUp, survey reveals

Almost two-thirds of small infrastructure organisations are unhappy
with the ChangeUp programme at grass-roots level, according to a
survey.

A poll of 117 chief officers of local organisations, carried out by
umbrella body Navca, reveals that 61 per cent are not satisfied with
the way Capacitybuilders has handled the programme at local and
regional level.

The survey also reveals concern among grass-roots organisations about
local grant funding and scepticism about the Compact.

Slightly more than 60 per cent of respondents said they expected their
local authorities to continue to run budgets for grants beyond
2008/09.

Forty per cent said the Compact, the agreement between government and
the voluntary sector on how they relate to each other, was not a
useful tool in managing relationships with local public bodies.

Kevin Curley, chief executive of Navca, said that the question about
Capacitybuilders brought some of the most vitriolic comments he had
ever heard.

"A lot of it was to do with the processes," he said. "People
complained about disproportionate levels of management of local
consortia by Capacitybuilders.They see the organisation as rather
frantic and not very well organised or strategic."

Of the high proportion of organisations that answered 'no' to the
question of whether they found the Compact useful in dealing with
public bodies, Curley said that many were concerned about its lack of
statutory backing.

"People are saying that they do not think it is useful because their
local authority can choose to ignore it if it wants to," said Curley.

"It is the lack of any kind of statutory powers around the Compact
that people are saying 'no' to. They are not saying they do not want
to have a properly structured agreement with their public body."

Catherine Johnstone, acting chief executive of Capacitybuilders, said
she would be meeting stakeholders across England to address the
concerns.

"Surveys such as this are incredibly helpful at this time in setting
out what stakeholders value about our role and where we could do
better," she said.

Other key points

40 per cent of respondents said they were unhappy with the level of
third sector involvement in developing local area agreements

11.5 per cent said they were aware of collaboration between national
and local charities to bid for public service delivery contracts

43 per cent said they faced no competition for funding from other
local infrastructure organisations in their areas.

>From 3rd Sector 30th April
http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/DailyBulletin/805862/Local-organisations-unhappy-ChangeUp-survey-reveals/65A28A08B8D2EED414EF58D91E7E1E64/?DCMP=EMC-DailyBulletin