The Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is this morning due to set out his party’s vision for the UK voluntary sector.
Starmer is expected to speak in front of an audience of 150 charity leaders and 17 shadow ministers at an event in London organised by the think tank Pro Bono Economics.
PBE said it would be the first time a major political leader had outlined a vision for the charity sector since the former Prime Minister David Cameron set out his ‘big society’ idea in 2010.
The think tank said that in order to realise the potential of the UK voluntary sector, the next government must treat it as a strategic partner equal to UK business rather than simply a low-cost provider of public services.
It comes as new polling from PBE and the Charities Aid Foundation shows that more than one-third of UK adults think charities are best-placed to understand the issues affecting people today.
This was more than five times the proportion that thought the government was in the best position to do this, according to the survey of more than 1,000 people, which was carried out in December.
It showed that almost six in 10 adults think the government should listen more to charities when thinking about the long-term challenges facing the country, with 5 per cent saying it should listen to charities less.
Matt Whittaker, chief executive of Pro Bono Economics, said: “The UK’s charities are essential to solving the major challenges we face as a country today.
“Yet Keir Starmer’s speech today is the first time a political leader in the UK has set out a strategic vision for how the sector can serve as a partner to the government since David Cameron’s ‘big society’ concept in 2010.
“Since then, the sector has changed enormously and now has a workforce totalling just shy of one million.
“While it has grown in size and become ever-more vital to supporting the most vulnerable in society, the charity sector has had to deal with £1.7bn less government funding in real terms and four million fewer volunteers over the same period.
“Charities sit at the centre of everything the nation aspires to – from the health of the economy to the quality of life we enjoy.
“It is vital then that the government which comes to power following the next general election does what it can to help the sector unleash its full potential.”
Stay tuned to thirdsector.co.uk for full coverage of Starmer’s speech, which is due to take place at 10am.