Strong foundations needed for growth of Big Society

As we have just reached the end of the financial year, I have
been doing the usual analysis on our work in the past 12 months. Good news is we’ve
provided direct community development support to over 500 organisations and a
little over 50 per cent of Norfolk’s 545 parishes. Unsurprisingly, one of the largest and
growing set of enquiries is funding-related. Another area of growth is causing
a little more concern.

There has been a notable increase in the number of severe
governance queries we are supporting. These are more than just the general
checking about reporting, AGM procedures and legal structure questions. They
range from organisations operating well outside their remit, questionable use
of charitable assets and appointment processes for trustees that make certain
middle eastern regimes look positively meritocratic.

Our feeling is that it’s not that the absence of funding that
has caused these issues to emerge, but that they are linked. The extra scrutiny
and tough decisions organisations are needing to make are highlighting the
cracks (or chasms) in their existing governance structures and processes.

This has implications for the big society plans. A few years
ago I ran a project supporting community buildings to develop wider service
hubs. One of the key findings was that, in many cases, these organisations needed to consolidate their existing
operations before developing new
services or projects. This takes time, will-power, technical knowledge and resources.

What is also of concern is the Charity Commission‘s seeming
inability to provide meaningful advice and support. Sadly, the answer to the
question ‘what if we don’t bother?’, can often be ‘not a lot’. While we certainly
wouldn’t want to see a draconian approach to small charity regulation, ignoring
significant issues creates operational problems and affects the image of
charities. With many eyes looking towards the voluntary sector that impacts us all.

Jonathan Clemo is chief executive of Norfolk RCC