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NCVO chief slams 'Neanderthal' commissioning of voluntary sector (29th June 2010)

** Civil Society 29th June 2010 **

Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive at NCVO, has urged local and central government to make radical changes to its commissioning of the voluntary sector, calling the current system "Neanderthal" and "crazy".

Speaking at the Rethinking Public Service Delivery conference this week, Sir Stuart said the current system of contracts with specific processes and outcomes meant public services stayed the same:

“If we want innovation and more localisation of services,” Sir Stuart said, “we have to accept a level of difference.”

Sir Stuart also said that European rules on commissioning needed to be reformed, after a delegate in the audience argued that councils were bound by European legislation which "forced them into defining outcomes".

Commenting on the future partnership between the voluntary sector and government departments, Sir Stuart said there would need to be a radical rethink of the relationship:

“Over the last ten years the voluntary sector and state funding doubled in size. The future will not be like this therefore we need a rethink of the relationship with local and central government which is our biggest funder.

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