Mactaggart says 'I'll deliver you the Charities Bill'
Howard Lake | 30 September 2003 | News
Home Office Minister Fiona Mactaggart told voluntary sector leaders at the Labour Party Conference that she would deliver a charities bill.
Fiona Mactaggart MP was speaking at NCVO’s charities reception held at the Labour Party Conference on 29 September. She was joined by Gordon Brown, Tessa Jowell and many other MPs, senior opinion formers and voluntary sector leaders.
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Addressing the reception she said: “I’ll deliver you, I’m sure, the Charities Bill”. She continued by expressing her concern about the situation whereby the voluntary sector often seems to be ‘begging’ for favours from the Government. People must realise the important role played by the voluntary sector, the Minister insisted, suggesting that it can act as a kind of
‘third way’ alongside the public and private sectors.
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell also spoke, stressing the importance of the
lessons that the voluntary sector can teach the public sector – particularly in terms of developing personal relationships with clients. She called for this approach to be taken forward, ‘to wrap services around the people who need them’ – and she promised the Government’s support for voluntary sector
innovation.
The final speaker was Stuart Etherington of the NCVO. He praised the Government’s efforts on tax breaks for charities and the new relationship between the state and the voluntary sector. He looked forward to the
Treasury review of the sector. Mr Etherington concluded by asking “where do
we go from here?”, stressing the importance of campaigning for the Charities Bill.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.