Press Release

NAO report is spot on - now we need action, says charity chief

The UK’s leading voluntary provider of employment services for disabled and disadvantaged people has welcomed a new report by the National Audit Office for the Office of the Third Sector and HM Treasury.

The report ‘Public Funding of Large National Charities’ found that the lack of coordination in funding for public services delivered by the third sector limit is holding charities back. According to the NAO, the current arrangements are bad for taxpayer value and risk compromising the level of service experienced by the client.

Shaw Trust’s Chief Executive Ian Charlesworth says that the findings have important implications for employment programmes:

“We welcome the publication of this report. The National Audit Office has highlighted the struggle that we, and other organisations like us, face in creating viable and sustainable services in the face of a chaotic funding system.

“The Government’s aspiration to involve more third sector organisations in the delivery of certain public services is laudable. The reality is, that without root and branch change in the procurement and funding of these programmes service users will suffer.

“We already help almost 60,000 people per year on their journey into employment – with simpler, more strategic funding streams, we could help many more. If the Treasury reinvested benefit savings back into employment services we would be able to realise the Government’s 80% employment aspirations,” he added.

“We’ve got the evidence, now we need action.”

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