Government sets out vision to put UK on road to recovery

The Government has launched Building Britain's Future, a plan for a fairer, stronger and more prosperous society, outlining government action to move the UK from recession to recovery and rebuild trust in the political system, with a strong part to played by the Third Sector.

"Our task after three terms in office is not merely to defend Britain's achievements over the last decade but to work even harder so as to meet new challenges with the same sense of conviction," Prime Minister Gordon Brown said.

Jon Sibson, partner and head of government and public sector, PricewaterhouseCoopers, said the language has changed from targets to entitlements, but expectations of service levels are still being nudged upwards. In the current financial crisis, this will be a challenge for public sector leaders.

"They will need to think about how to redesign services, and to make savings in the back office, to deliver more for less," Sibson said.

As a first step, the government made a number of commitments to the British people, including to deliver 20,000 new affordable homes and create 45,000 jobs in the construction and related sectors in the next two years, to further reform the House of Lords, including completing the process of removing the hereditary principle, and to establish a new £150 million Innovation Fund to drive growth and create high value jobs.

Dave Prentis, general secretary of UNISON, the UK's largest public sector union, welcomes the commitment to directing more resources at housing.

"This creates jobs and much needed homes which will go someway towards helping the thousands of families living in overcrowded accommodation and the millions on waiting lists," Prentis said.

"But there can be no quick fixes to the housing crisis. Nothing will substitute for sustained investment over the long term, which is what we want to see the government commit to."

Recognizing the importance of the Third Sector, the report estimates that government investment in the Third Sector is worth about £11 billion a year and that the sector offers potential for future economic growth, jobs, training and enterprise.

"Government commitment to unlocking new forms of finance for charities is vital if the Sector is to fulfil its role at the heart of the Government's aspirations for Britain's future," said John Kingston, director of Charity Aid Foundation's social investment fund Venturesome.

The report states that the government plans to do more to support social enterprise, through developing new forms of affordable and sustainable finance.

"Social investment is still in its infancy," Kingston added. "We hope that the Government's initiatives, starting with the consultation on a Social Investment Wholesale Institution, will ensure that affordable and sustainable finance can fulfil the very real capital needs that exist and help charities to thrive and come out of the recession stronger."

To facilitate Building Britain's Future, Cabinet and Regional Ministers will be holding town hall events around the country during July and August to explain more about the plan and to consult with members of the public on how to take it forward.

Claire Racine
Charity Times

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