Policy reports

Policy briefing 8 April 2016 Taking action together SCVO briefing: issues for the third sector beyond 2016 Our vision A fairer Scotland is our vision for the future. We want to see a Scotland that is transparent, well balanced and socially just, which empowers people from all... Read more

This papers offers a comparison of the OSCR and Charity Commission guidance for charities on how to approach campaigning around the EU referendum. Read more

Why new social security powers provide an opportunity to create policies that are truly person-centred. Read more

11 February 2016 The clause The UK Cabinet Office has issued guidelines to prohibit organisations in receipt of grant funding from all UK departments from influencing government or parliament. The wording of the clause is: “The following costs are not Eligible Expenditure... Read more

Lobbying (Scotland) Bill – Stage 2 SCVO Briefing 2 February 2016 Key points: To ensure diverse views are still encouraged at Parliament and the voice of smaller third sector organisations is not lost, we continue to urge MSPs to ensure that the Lobbying Bill remains light touch... Read more

Introduction SCVO is working with Scottish Government to support third sector organisations operating both nationally and on the frontline as they help people and communities affected by welfare policy changes. This briefing shares some of the intelligence and insights we are... Read more

The third sector in Scotland employs an estimated 138,000 people (headcount) or 83,350 Full Time Equivalent workers. This equates to 5.6% of the Scottish workforce. 27% of regulated third sector organisations employ staff. Number of regulated voluntary organisations with... Read more

Lobbying (Scotland) Bill – Stage 1 SCVO Briefing 5 January 2016 Key points: To ensure diverse views are still encouraged at Parliament and the voice of smaller third sector organisations is not lost, we urge MSPs to ensure that the Lobbying Bill remains light touch If the... Read more

2 January 2016 'The pressure on budgets is intense and public spending is not expected to return to 2010 levels in real terms for 16 years.' Christie Commission Key findings Cuts to public sector budgets have started to have a real impact on third sector finances, with public... Read more

Introduction As it stands the Scotland Bill is not a coherent piece of legislation and, along with many in our sector, SCVO questions its effectiveness. We consider that this Bill ought to give the Scottish Parliament full policy autonomy over devolved areas, allowing for the... Read more

Taxation With the prospect of new powers over income tax through the Scotland Act 2012 and Scotland Bill 2015-16, SCVO has been reflecting on what a future Scottish tax system may look like. For SCVO there are two key questions to be answered before we began to consider what we... Read more

Introduction Our starting point is that our economy needs to change. In our discussion paper ‘An Economy for All’ we suggest four guiding principles which should underpin an urgently needed rethinking of our economy: The well-being and collective prosperity of people across... Read more

The effectiveness of the self-regulation of fundraising in Scotland: an informal review August 2015 Contents Foreword 1.0 Executive summary 2.0 Introduction 3.0 Fundraising in Scotland 3.1 Who fundraises? 3.2 How is money raised? 3.3 How much are charities raising in Scotland?... Read more

SCVO fundraising review, August 2015: report on survey findings This report forms a part of the wider review report The effectiveness of the self-regulation of fundraising in Scotland: an informal review 1 Context This report presents an analysis of a survey carried out by SCVO... Read more

SCVO is delighted to support this motion and the work of Amnesty International in its campaign. As we watch the plight of many thousands of refugees across Europe, never has the debate about maintaining the Human Rights Act been so current or so important. Scotland has once again... Read more

Our response Introduction SCVO has maintained a clear position on extension of FOI to the third sector. We support the extension of Freedom of Information to include the provision of all public services, irrespective of whether those services are provided by public, private or... Read more

Introduction SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to this timely and important inquiry by the Welfare Reform Committee. The Committee has been one of the most effective in the Scottish Parliament, scrutinizing and challenging both UK and Scottish policy. Such tenacity is... Read more

Introduction SCVO welcomes the Committee’s call for views on its future work programme and how the Committee itself should undertake its work. At a time when there is a strong public, press and policy focus on Scotland, largely following the substantial engagement in the... Read more

Our response SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation and would like to contribute the following, based on conversations with our elected policy committee, and with others across our sector and wider civil society. Introduction With new tax powers coming to... Read more

Our response SCVO has, over the past few years, been having a conversation with the third sector about how we can better ‘do’ our economy. SCVO therefore welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation and would like to contribute the following points which have come out... Read more

One year on from the referendum on Scottish independence, Kate Wane reflects on where we are at in terms of third sector policy Read more

Introduction SCVO welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment to land reform and increased community ownership of land. It is encouraging to see the Policy Objectives[i] of the Bill referencing empowering people and increased public benefit as key goals of the Bill. The... Read more

Introduction Sadly, SCVO and other third sector organisations find themselves having to brief MPs on further, devastating changes to tax and benefits which will serve to push more people into poverty. Rather than achieving the goal of making work pay, the reforms outlined by the... Read more

Welfare cuts Cuts and changes to tax credits will have a huge impact on families. There are over 290,000 households in Scotland with children who currently receive tax credits, much of which goes to working families on low wages. Benefits for people of working-age will be frozen... Read more

Context and principles The third sector has a clear view about the principles and purpose of social security policy and delivery – these include dignity, holistic support and income adequacy. Yet, the reality is very far from the vision. Charities are already dealing with recent... Read more

Income tax and Gift Aid Gift Aid is a relief on income tax that benefits charities and community amateur sports clubs (CASCs). Last year Gift Aid provided over £1 billion to the third sector in the UK. Given the sums involved SCVO calls for a specific commitment for Gift Aid to... Read more

Introduction The Community Empowerment Bill has been in development for a number of years and has been subject to a considerable level of consultation and consideration. During this time the Scottish Government, the Local Government and Regeneration Committee and the Rural... Read more

Introduction Tax reform is a complex issue and not one that we are experts in. However, given that a large number of our member organisations support those on low incomes and/or benefits, that others campaign for changes in land distribution and ownership, and that yet others are... Read more

Introduction SCVO, as the umbrella body for charities and voluntary organisations in Scotland, takes a strong interest in policies and legislation concerning Scotland’s future, primarily as these often have an impact - positive and/or negative - on the people and communities our... Read more

Employer Debt in Non-Associated Multi-Employer Schemes Question 3.1 – if we were to make any changes, should we exclude associated multi-employer schemes / limit the provisions to multi-employer schemes? Changes should be made purely in relation to non-associated multi-employer... Read more

Welfare SCVO and the wider third sector will welcome the fact that the Committee has raised concerns about the welfare powers promised as a result of the Smith Commission. It is not secret that many within the sector wanted to see more welfare powers being devolved to Scotland... Read more

Introduction First, SCVO once again calls for immediate devolution of powers over supporting people into jobs agreed by the Smith Commission to Holyrood and the commencement of a wider debate about how employment and employability support should be shaped in Scotland. As outlined... Read more

Introduction SCVO welcomes the opportunity to submit this briefing on the Carers (Scotland) Bill. At a time when carers and their families face a “double whammy” of service and welfare cuts, there are too many people facing crisis situations. Recognising the wider context We... Read more

Scene Setting Health inequalities are both created and exacerbated when policies, legislation, services and our economy impact on our lives in very real and sometimes devastating ways; consider the impact of welfare reform on poverty and isolation[i], and the increased... Read more

Our response SCVO welcomes this Independent and Scottish Green Debate ‘An End to In-work Poverty’, and would like to contribute the following: Well-being through the economy Creating material wealth for its own sake cannot be the driving force behind our economy. After a certain... Read more

Land Reform Review Group We strongly welcomed the publication of the Land Reform Review Group (LRRG) Report: ‘The Land of Scotland and the Common Good’ as a thoughtful, comprehensive and coherent report, providing the rationale and agenda for action to achieve greater fairness... Read more

Dignity and Choice; Action not Rhetoric We welcome the addition of a dignity clause at Stage 2 but remain disappointed that the third sector’s more detailed amendment was rejected. Whilst political rhetoric in Scotland calls for a more compassionate and empowering approach to... Read more

Beyond legislation The Community Empowerment Bill is one small part of the change needed to enable more empowered communities. It is vital that this Bill is considered in those terms and not seen as the totality of the approach that is required. It is our view that the impact of... Read more

20th January 2015 The third sector in Scotland has long thought that ensuring the well-being of people across Scotland should be the guiding principle behind any vision for Scotland. Inequality is not just about the money in people’s pockets. It’s about a range of other issues... Read more

Income, Regional and Social Inequality SCVO considers that any future Scottish Government economic strategies should focus on using the economy, and the wealth it creates, to tackle Scotland’s endemic social, health and income inequalities. Scotland suffers from economic... Read more

Responding to Stage 1 report We welcome the depth and detail in the Welfare Reform Committee’s consideration of the Bill. In this section we respond to some of the points made in the Stage 1 report. Fraud/Trust We are supportive of the Committee’s recommendation that the ethos... Read more

On Wednesday 3 December, the Chancellor George Osborne announce his Autumn Statement – outlining the latest spending and tax decisions of the UK Government. Read full statement and report What does the statement mean for the third sector? Here we list the main announced changes... Read more

Why do we want to rethink our democracy? On the face of it, Scottish democracy works. People exercise their right to vote in a number of different elections and are then governed and represented by those who the majority voted for. Yet this is a very simplistic assessment of the... Read more

The human costs of welfare reform The sector has been at the forefront of dealing with the fall out of a range of cuts and changes to benefits and tax credits.[i] Working with our members and partners and a whole range of voluntary organisations, the picture we are building is... Read more

A Rights Deficit? Along with our members and third sector/civic society partners, SCVO has been vocal about the impact of austerity measures and welfare cuts and the resultant effect on people’s ability to fulfil basic human rights. Responses to, for example, the Oakley review on... Read more

Briefing Since the inception of the Scottish Parliament, the third sector’s role in the creation of public policy has had a positive effect. By developing strong links with parliamentarians and government officials the third sector has formed productive relationships which ensure... Read more

Land and Buildings Transaction Tax Bands and Rates: Call for Evidence This paper presents SCVO’s position on the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax bands and rates presented in the draft Budget 2015-16. It is offered in response to the Scottish Parliament’s Finance Committee’s... Read more

Context Across Scotland, the third sector has been dealing with the impact of welfare cuts and wider austerity policies head on. The picture we have is now well developed with increasing evidence of people being left in extreme need, and in some cases, with nowhere to turn: A... Read more

The Building Healthier and Happier Communities project now has tailored support available for third sector organisations in East Dunbartonshire who want to take forward ideas and make changes to the health and well-being of their communities. Before completing this Expression of... Read more

This briefing has been prepared by the Scottish Community Alliance, Community Woodlands Association, Development Trusts Association Scotland, Community Land Scotland, and Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. We have an interest in supporting communities across Scotland... Read more

Introduction This paper is the second in a series that looks to promote conversation about some of the big issues in the run-up to and period after the 2014 Scottish Referendum, amplifying the voice and ideas of the third sector and the people it supports. The Scottish Council... Read more

The Impact of Sanctions in Scotland Our members will no doubt respond with details of the impact of sanctions on the people they work with on a daily basis. Across the third sector in Scotland, evidence of the devastation caused by sanctions, in many cases applied incorrectly, is... Read more

Motion: That the Parliament welcomes the launch of Scotland’s Outlook, a joint third sector campaign that aims to raise awareness of the scale and impact of poverty in Scotland; recognises that the campaign uses a weather analogy with the aim of sharing meaningful examples of... Read more

Summary SCVO welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the impact of welfare reform. On the day that the Poverty in Scotland publication is launched, never has a debate been more timely or appropriate. As press coverage highlighted last weekend i, the impact of... Read more

Introduction SCVO welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the planned debate on welfare reform. Our short briefing highlights: The concerns of the sector as welfare reform continues to affect the lives of individuals, communities and families with often devastating consequences... Read more

As the Bill to take forward health and social care integration moves to its final stages, please find below a short briefing from SCVO. Summary The third sector has a vital and full role to play in both strategic and locality planning to achieve the outcomes envisaged for the... Read more

Summary This Bill fails to address how procurement can be used to benefit people and communities across Scotland. This purpose should be in the Bill. Without changes, the opportunity of this Bill to truly imbed sustainable procurement into contracting culture will be lost... Read more

What is Non-party Campaigning? Individuals or organisations that campaign in elections, but are not standing as political parties or candidates, are called non-party campaigners. The Electoral Commission regulates activities deemed as being for election purposes during a... Read more

Motion That the Parliament notes with concern the ever increasing rise in the number of people relying on food banks in Scotland and across the UK; considers that it is not only the unemployed, but also those underemployed or underpaid who are increasingly becoming reliant on... Read more

Our response SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to this call for evidence, and contributes the following: Economy When the economy failed in 2008, the impact of fewer jobs and lower wages affected many people across Scotland. These are often the people who are found queuing... Read more

Introduction The purpose of the Exemption Scheme is to support small-medium sized third sector organisations by exempting them from meeting the cost of water and sewerage services. The Scottish Government is currently consulting on a new exemption scheme for third sector... Read more

Our response SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation. Our response draws from a number of discussions held with our members, third sector intermediary bodies and our Policy Committee. We are clear that the primary role for government and the public sector in... Read more

Our response The Need for Change Have there been significant changes over the last decade in the way that lobbying is carried out? Since the inception of the Scottish Parliament, the third sector’s role in the creation of public policy has increased steadily. By developing strong... Read more

More options download as a PDF document download as a Word document Introduction SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to this review of sanctions within the Jobseekers Allowance regime. Our aim in this response is to highlight the devastating impact of sanctions on... Read more

Key principles Local democracy is not the same as local government. Local representative democracy and participative democracy, where people associate directly to make change happen, act in concert to check and balance each other. Elected representatives need to nourish and... Read more

SCVO briefing The non-party campaigning section of this bill must be withdrawn The bill is an attack on democracy which could restrict legitimate participation in the political process Implications of the changes in Scotland The reductions in spending and registration thresholds... Read more

1. Underpinning objectives and principles Earlier this year, SCVO produced a paper which outlined third sector thinking about the principles and objectives which might underpin a future welfare settlement in Scotland. The paper argues that the starting point for welfare in... Read more

This paper is on Simplified Costs Options - Models for Third Sector Delivery Agents. The recommendations in this paper are based on the information available from the European Commission, including COCOF note 09/0025/04/EN, which provides technical guidance on how to interpret... Read more

The role of the Third Sector in the implementation and delivery of European Structural Funds has been recognised at policy and operational level by Scottish Government and the European Commission. The Commission in its guidance to Member States in preparing for the next programme... Read more

The European Network of National Civil Society Associations (ENNA) was founded in Belgium in 2011, following a series of successful transnational projects led by its founding members. The young network brings together national associations, platforms, umbrella, and civil society... Read more

General statement on composition of trustees Composition of Trustees 4A The Trustees shall exercise their powers under clause 5 with regard to appointment of Trustees in such a way as to ensure that, so far as reasonably possible, at any given time:- [insert appropriate material... Read more

Introduction SCVO is alarmed by the legislation being brought forward as part of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administrations Bill. It is our view that the second part of the Bill which focusses on non-party campaigning is an attack on... Read more

Our response SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to this consultation and would like to contribute to the following: Introduction SCVO begins this submission by pointing out that to the third sector it is not necessarily important what is devolved and what is not. What is... Read more

SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to this enquiry. Economic growth As in our other budget submissions we question the focus on economic growth which persists throughout the Draft Budget. It is our view that a focus on ‘sustainable economic growth’ will not address the... Read more

Our response Long-term funding Many within the third sector do not receive funding from local authorities over more than one year. This is detrimental to their ability to plan for the future and provide the best service they can to what are often vulnerable groups. Long-term... Read more

SCVO welcomes the opportunity to contribute this written submission to the Local Government and Regeneration Committee as part of its consideration of the Freedom of Information Designations Order. In your invitation to us it is stated: ‘To this end we would welcome a written... Read more

Shifting the balance of the bill The need to radically rethink how public services operate and the outcomes they achieve is part of the rationale behind the Bill. There are significant challenges ahead in this regard, not least of these being the need to shift power and resources... Read more

Introduction SCVO welcomes the opportunity to make a written submission to the Health and Sport Committee as it begins to consider the Public Bodies Bill. Major change is required in the way Scotland approaches the health and wellbeing of its population if we are, as a nation, to... Read more

Introduction SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to the consultation on the above regulations which will drive implementation of the Self Directed Support (SDS) legislation. Our response covers some specific points in relation to the tone and emphasis of the guidance... Read more

Our response SECTION 2 : SETTING THE CONTEXT Question 1: Given the EU’s Common Strategic Framework approach do you agree or disagree that EU funds in Scotland should be marshalled into three funds (paragraph 27)? Agree As a means of driving the integration and more effective... Read more

Our briefing SCVO welcomes the opportunity to input into the Bill and would like to contribute the following for members’ consideration: This is an opportunity to move the debate beyond technical issues to a wider discussion about how we can encourage people to get involved in... Read more

Summary The Stage 1 debate on the Referendum (Scotland) Bill on 14th May is an opportunity to move the debate beyond the technical issues of the franchise to a wider discussion of how we can encourage people to get involved in the debate. SCVO recently convened a voter... Read more

SCVO welcomes the opportunity to respond to this inquiry . We are pleased that the committee has opted for an ‘open information gathering’ approach. We would like to make the following five suggestions for improving the delivery of regeneration. Commit to genuine community-led... Read more

SCVO views the issue of land reform primarily in terms of the individuals and communities who live on the land. We are concerned with the potential for their relationship with the land to empower them to take voluntary action to help themselves and others and to bring about... Read more

1. The challenge for the third sector From advice providers and housing associations to homelessness services, carers’ organisations, and many more, a large slice of Scotland’s third sector works towards anti-poverty and pro-equality missions. With people and families across the... Read more