Without the state

Artistic Dividend

Via an affair with urban policy is an interesting report called "The Artistic Dividend - the arts' hidden contributions to regional development (pdf file) , published by the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs in the University of Minnesota.

For decades, arts advocates and cultural economists have tried to make the case that public and philanthropic investments in the arts create a positive economic return for the host community beyond the aesthetic enjoyment of the immediate audience or the incomes generated for workers in the artistic enterprise. Hundreds of arts impact studies have been done, detailing the probable expenditure of arts patrons, including tourists drawn to a region expressly for this purpose, on tickets, restaurant meals, hotels, and other local purchases. Despite the methodological problems that confront such efforts (Seaman,1987; Beyers and GMA, 1999), these studies document a not insignificant economic return to non-artistic businesses and the regional economy as a whole.

Great Headlines of Modern Times

Skimming thorugh the stats I noticed a visit via this post on Crooked Timber.

It triggered a memory of another headline allegedly from the Guardian:-

"Queen in brawl at Palace"

Before anyone thinks I'm trying to create another Royal Rumour, let me hastily say it related I think to a footballer called Gerry Queen and a match at Crystal Palace.

Can anyone confirm the headline?

Only in America - revisited

What sort of legal system is this?

Community Buildings

Peppercornrent.co.uk is for community sector organisations who occupy community premises for charitable purposes i.e. Community Associations, Village Halls, Women's Institutes etc.

The website aims:

# To provide community sector organisations with information on matters relating to leases, commercial market rents, rent grant aid, peppercorn rents.
# To provide an opportunity for community sector organisations to record information about their circumstances and thus build a database of factual information to assist advocacy locally and nationally.
# To build the advocacy case for:-
        * Security of tenure agreements for community sector organisations
        * Encourage use of local government discretionary powers to provide long leases at peppercorn/normal rents
        * Development of Best Practice recommendations for Local Govement "Community and Voluntary Sectors Leasing Policy Review" - based on meaningful Partnership Development in Neighbourhood Renewal.

Infrastructure Strategy

ACU is co-ordinating the development of a strategy to support VCS infrastructure – the ‘second tier’ umbrella bodies and representative organisations that support voluntary and community organisations. This is complimentary to the futurebuilders initiative to strengthen the capacity of individual organisations providing direct services. The strategy is being developed in partnership with the voluntary and community sector and other key stakeholders, in line with key recommendations from the Cross Cutting Review, published in September 2002.

The Infrastructure Strategy aims to:
- develop a sustainable baseline of infrastructure support
- include proposals to address duplication and gaps in the support available to the sector at national and regional level
- guide significant Government investment in infrastructure support up to April 2006, and future policy development.

The document will identify the key infrastructure functions that can underpin a vibrant voluntary and community sector, and which could form the basis of an effective sector infrastructure.

It will also include an integrated Information Communication Technology Strategy (ICT) for the voluntary and community sector.

The Infrastructure Strategy will join up with capacity building recommendations from linked pieces of work, to form an overarching strategy for implementing the capacity building and infrastructure proposals from the Cross Cutting Review. This will include recommendations and actions for central and local government, other funders and the voluntary and community sector itself.

The consultation document is due for publication in the autumn, followed by a 12 week consultation period, which will enable a wide cross section of interested parties to 'have their say' on the draft recommendations. Consultation events will be held in all 9 regions, with a national event in London.

Contact
Infrastructure Review
Sector Development Team, Active Community Unit
020 7035 5309
3rd Floor, Allington Towers, 19 Allington Street, London, SW1E 5EB
Email
[email protected]

Community Capacity Building Review

The Active Community Unit (ACU) is leading a cross-sector review of Government support for community groups and community capacity building. The review was commissioned by the Government’s Regional Co-ordination Unit as part of the Area Based Initiatives (ABI) review, which aims to streamline programmes tackling deep-seated problems in neighbourhoods and local areas.

The results of the review will be published as a consultation document in the summer, and will map existing Government activity in this field, making proposals for change at community, local, regional and national level. The aim is to unify and make more effective the planning, resourcing and evaluating of provision for building the capacity of individuals and groups in communities to participate in community activity and contribute to a wide range of social objectives.

The review is also contributing directly to the ACU’s broader effort to develop a capacity building and infrastructure strategy for the voluntary and community sector, to be published in 2004. There are also close links with the NRU’s Community Participation Review (above).

Timetable: Publish summer 2003, with consultation for 12 weeks including regional events – contact ACU for details.

Contact
Balraj Sandhu
Community Development Team, Active Community Unit
020-7035 5307
3rd Floor, Allington Towers, 19 Allington Street, London, SW1E 5EB

Email address for comments
[email protected]

futureBuilders

The Government announced the £125 million futurebuilders fund when it published ‘The Role of the Voluntary and Community Sector in Service Delivery: A Cross Cutting Review’ ii (CCR) last year. The fund is spread over three years from 2003-04 to 2005-06, and aims to assist voluntary and community organisations in their public service work. The fund is 80% capital and 20% revenue.

futurebuilders will contribute to four key Government public services priorities:
- health and social care
- crime and social cohesion
- education and learning; and
- support for children and young people

The Treasury is leading on the design of the Fund in close co-operation with the voluntary and community sector. It is intended that the design of the Fund be an exemplar of the Compact process as applied to the development of government policy.

The consultation document - 'futurebuilders - an investment fund for VCS public service delivery: Proposals for consultation’ – is available on the Treasury website at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk.

The proposals in the consultation document have been informed by five VCS task groups and a wider reference group. The consultation document:
· sets out principles to guide the use of the fund
· details what the fund can be used for and the types of finance the fund might provide
· indicates ways in which the fund could be targeted at public services.

Views on these proposals are being sought from a wider VCS audience and other stakeholders, including local purchasers, before final decisions are taken. As part of the consultation process, a series of regional events are being undertaken (details are available on the Treasury website).

futurebuilders is additional, separate and complementary to the work of the Active Community Unit in co-ordinating the more general implementation of the CCR’s recommendations.

Responses are requested by 21 July 2003 and should be sent to:
Helen Horton, Voluntary and Community Sector Team, HM Treasury,
1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ.
Email: voluntarysector@hm-treasury
Fax: 020 7270 6233

The consultation document is also available by contacting the Treasury Public Enquiry Unit (tel. 020 7270 4558; email [email protected]).

Neighbourhood Renewal Unit (NRU): Community Participation Review

NRU set up a review to develop proposals to inform its Community Participation strategy.

The Community Participation Strategy aims to meet the needs of those from the community engaged in neighbourhood renewal in the 88 most deprived boroughs in England. At present NRU runs three community programmes - Community Empowerment Fund (CEF), Community Chests (CC) and Community Learning Chest (CLC).

The NRU and the review steering group agreed that the existing programmes are working well, but need more time to develop. The review makes three key recommendations:

1. That CEF, CC and CLC programmes and budgets be brought together into a single community programme as recommended by the Area Based Initiatives (ABI) Review Action Plan
2. That one aspect of the single programme will focus on community support for delivery of Local Neighbourhood Renewal Strategies (LNRS's) in the most deprived neighbourhoods in 2004-06
3. That the NRU adopts a set of clear programme objectives for each activity stream of the single programme, and assesses success in part through indicators and targets based on those objectives.

The NRU is now consulting on its findings and recommendations.

The deadline for comments is 8 August 2003. The report is available at www.neighbourhood.gov.uk. Hard copies can obtained from the NRU hotline 08450 82 83 83.

Consultation events are being organised at regional level. Please contact the Government Office in your region for details.

Address for comments:
Community Participation Review
Neighbourhood Renewal Unit
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Eland House 6/H10
Bressenden Place
London SW1E 5DU

Email address for comments:
[email protected]

Government support for the voluntary and community sector

Via Community Matters I've received a leaflet setting out details of a range of consultations from the Home Office.

The Home Secretary has recently set out his views on how civil renewal needs to form the centrepiece of the Government’s reform agenda over the next few years. This is both about redefining the relationship of the state to the people it serves, locally and nationally, and about economic and social regeneration driven by popular engagement.

More specifically, the Government is driving forward programmes to improve the quality and responsiveness of public services. The Treasury cross cutting review of the role of the voluntary and community sector in service delivery highlighted the added value the voluntary and community sector (VCS) can bring to the design, planning and delivery of services, making key recommendations on funding relationships, building capacity and embedding the Compact.

The Government is developing a number of initiatives with the VCS, so that where the sector wishes to engage, it is able to do so effectively utilising and building on the knowledge and strengths already within these organisations.

Proposals being consulted on during 2003 will significantly influence how Government develops and funds support for the VCS. Consultation with the sector about key proposals by relevant Government departments is either underway or planned in the near future.

I've broken the leaflet down into a series of separate posts for convenience. I've also uploaded the entire leaflet in case you want to pass it on further.

Download file

Where are you from?

Fred First at Fragments ~ from Floyd has an interesting post on the topic of where we come from (no not the gooseberry bush!) . The exercise he suggests would be a great way to begin work with a community group looking at sense of place and local distinctiveness. Try it - I will be posting my own effort soon.