Law Family Commission on Civil Society launches
Melanie May | 30 November 2020 | News
Looking into how to unleash the potential of civil society in the 2020s, the Law Family Commission on Civil Society will be run by Pro Bono Economics with financial support from the Law Family Charitable Foundation.
It will be led by 17 Commissioners drawn from the private, public and social sectors, including former politicians, philanthropists and leaders of charities, universities, businesses and community groups.
These include: Dr Javed Khan, CEO of Barnardo’s; Karl Wilding, CEO of NCVO; James Timpson, CEO of Timpsons Ltd; Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE, Crossbench peer, Paralympian and Chancellor of Northumbria University; and Ruth Ibegbuna, CEO Founder, RECLAIM and Director of The Roots Programme.
The two-year Commission will be a research and policy project designed to focus on the past, present and future of civil society in the UK.
The virtual launch is set to take place this morning, and will see former Cabinet Secretary and Commission Chair Lord Gus O’Donnell lead the discussion. He will present new research into public opinion on civil society at a time of pandemic. Conducted by Pro Bono Economics, it examines the role of charities since the arrival of Covid-19 and considers the support that civil society needs as it helps the country recover.
Lord O’Donnell will be joined by keynote speakers: Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital Culture, Media and Sport, and Rachel Reeves, Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office.
Panellists will include: Andy Haldane, Chief Economist of the Bank of England and founder of Pro Bono Economics; James Timpson, CEO of Timpson; Vidhya Alakeson, CEO of Power to Change; and Joel Davis, CEO of Tutors United.
In addition, following the launch tomorrow, 1 December, Pro Bono Economics will also publish an essay collection – Civil Society, Unleashed – with contributions from 20 policymakers, economists, charity CEOs, business people and philanthropists including: Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester; Polly Neate, CEO of Shelter; Kajal Odedra, Executive Director, Change.org; and Andy Haldane, Chief Economist, Bank of England.
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.