LONDON, April 23 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
The newCivil SocietyCouncilmet for the first time yesterdayin10DowningStreet.
The Prime Minister began by welcoming new membersofthe Councilandrecognisingtheimportantworkofcivil societyin supportingthose most in need.
Civil Society needs to be meaningfully brought intothe heart ofgovernment, the PM said, and that is why the launch of the Covenant, and the creation of this Council, have come at suchan important time.Partnershipmustbe at the heart of this,where civil society and government come together to deliver better outcomes for the British people.
The PMconcluded withtheimportance ofbuildingstronger, more united communities,and the need for government and civil society towork together ininstillinghopeforthefuture.
Chris Ward MP, the Minister for Procurementthenset out his ambition forprocurement processes that unlock opportunities for civil society, whiledelivering the services local communities needthrough a newdefinitionof social value.Minister Ward outlined progress that had been made,and invited Council Members'reflections on where challengesremained.The Minister agreed towork with Council Members and other civil society organisations in revising thedefinition ofsocial value in procurement processes.
The Councilthenhadabroaderinitialdiscussionin whichMembers raised awide-rangingset ofchallenges and opportunities- fromvolunteeringratestocivil society's capacity levels, particularly amongst small charities.Theyalsodiscussedwhat good partnershipbetween government and civil societylooks like, and the barriers that need to be resolved to embed this way of working.
TheCouncilChair,Kate Lee,concluded by thanking Council Members for a constructive discussion and agreed that actions should be taken forward in smaller groups, with the support of the No10 team, todriveprogress ahead of the next meeting.
Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.
