ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England) conducts a national survey of village halls and community buildings every decade and their 2020 survey needs you! The 2009 survey helped to secure the £3m improvement grant fund from DEFRA https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs.
They are asking you to fill in a short survey and help to get a great future for community buildings.
You can complete the survey here (opens in a new tab)
Deadline 16th April
The government has launched a consultation in order to gather views on its proposals to expand the dormant assets scheme to include new financial assets.
The public consultation follows two industry-led reports, which made a series of recommendations on broadening the current scheme beyond bank and building society accounts to include assets from the insurance and pensions, investment and wealth management, and securities sectors.
Having considered industry’s recommendations, the government is now inviting input on the detailed proposals to expand the scheme. We are particularly interested in hearing views from potential participants, consumer groups, regulators, and interested individuals
For more information and to comment go to the Government website (opens in a new tab)
Deadline 8th April
The Department for Education (DfE) has launched a consultation on unregulated provision for children in care and care leavers in England.
It has been launched alongside a research report on the same topic and transparency data on looked after children in independent or semi-independent placements.
The consultation seeks views on proposals to:
The consultation closes on 8 April 2020.
For more information go to the Government website (opens in a new tab)
Healthwatch East Riding of Yorkshire (HWERY), the independent watchdog for health and social care services in the East Riding of Yorkshire, is undertaking a GP Appointment Review in order to capture the views and opinion of the public regarding booking appointments, waiting times and access to appointments.
From the survey results HWERY will gain an indication of whether the people of East Riding of Yorkshire have access to GP services and the knowledge of how to access them when needed.
You can find more information here (opens in a new tab) and you can take part in the survey here (opens in a new tab)
Deadline 29th April
On 5 November 2019 the government launched a review of pre-charge bail legislation to put victims’ safety first and support police investigations.
This public consultation exercise is a central part of the wider review. This paper sets out issues raised by stakeholders alongside a corresponding set of initial proposals on which views are sought.
For more information, and to comment, go to the Government website (opens in a new tab)
Deadline 1st April
The Government believes that it is right to look again at decriminalising TV licence evasion in order to ensure a proportionate and fair approach to licence fee penalties and payments is in place, which protects the most vulnerable in our society.
The consultation will seek responses on whether to decriminalise evasion and give consideration to how this could happen. The determining factors that the Government will consider include:
For more information, and to comment, go to the Government website (opens in a new tab)
Deadline 6th March
The Armed Forces Covenant funds projects that support the Armed Forces Community, including the Ex-Forces Support North Yorkshire project.
Through its Local Grants Programme, it has made over 650 grants of up to £20,000 for local projects across the UK.
Now in its sixth year, the organisation is inviting views on how to shape the programme in the future to meet its ‘integration’ and ‘engagement’ objectives. In particular, the Covenant would like to hear people’s views on reducing isolation for veterans and their families, and how best to support local co-ordination. The consultation is open until Friday 6 March.
If you would like to take part, click here (opens in a new tab).
Deadline 31st March
From Civil Society
The Charity Commission has opened a consultation into responsible investment and how charities can align their investments with their aims.
The move was announced in a in a blog on the regulator’s website by Sian Hawkrigg, strategic policy adviser at the Commission, which says: “Many in and around the sector are championing this way of thinking and leading the way, but as the regulator we want to understand what is holding others back, and give more charities the confidence to follow suit where possible.”
It says that a shift in public mood is leading to a greater desire for transparency and an interest in “not just in what a charity achieves, but how it behaves along the way.”
It also argues that it is “increasingly prudent” for trustees to look at “the factors affecting the longer-term financial sustainability of their investments.”
It quotes Intentional Investing, a report published by the Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF) in 2015, as saying: “Evidence even suggests that, in some cases, the pursuit of responsible business practices can be positive from a financial as well as a values perspective.”
You can read the rest of the article here (opens in a new tab)
You can read the blog and respond here (opens in a new tab)
This year, NCVO will be researching diversity and volunteering. Diversity will cover inclusion, equity and equal opportunities. As part of this research, NCVO want to hear from you about what your organisation is doing in terms of diversity and volunteering.
You can find more information here (opens in a new tab)
Would you like to share your views and be kept informed about the research?
Then click here to complete this short form (opens in a new tab)
Deadline 4th March
Direct marketing is carried out by the vast majority of organisations; as a tool to grow their business or publicise their causes and aims. But organisations must ensure their direct marketing complies with the law.
The Information Commissioner’s Office have a new draft code that will help organisations ensure they meet their obligations. They want to know your thoughts:
Does it contain enough information?
Is it clear and easy to understand?
And what kinds of examples should we consider?
You can submit your views here. (opens in a new tab)
