Greetings! 

The drive to create more employee-owned mutuals to deliver public services is proceeding apace, and certain charities are already on the front foot to help GPs cope with their forthcoming commissioning responsibilities. But such Big Society progress risks being undermined by the "horrible people" that tend to render most small groups dysfunctional, according to the RSA's chief executive.

On a housekeeping note, spaces at Governance magazine's Trustee Training workshop in London next Wednesday are now extremely limited so if you want to secure your place at this unmissable networking and training opportunity, click here.

Maude announces new Mutuals Taskforce to drive 'right to provide' agenda

 

Francis Maude, minister for the Cabinet Office, has announced that Professor Julian Le Grand, professor of social policy at LSE, will lead a new Mutuals Taskforce, which is to include Patrick Lewis, partners' counsellor at John Lewis and Peter Holbrook, chief executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition.

Dysfunctional groups threaten Big Society, says RSA's Taylor

 

One of the biggest challenges to successfully creating the Big Society is the difficulty in getting small groups of people to work together effectively, according to RSA chief executive Matthew Taylor.

Charity consultancy body set to benefit from GP commissioning plans

 

A commissioning support agency set up by the MND Association, MS Society and Parkinson's UK is set to reap the benefits of the new commissioning landscape outlined in the Health and Social Care Bill.

Homelessness charity faces £250,000 bill after Tupe ruling

 

Homelessness charity, the 700 Club, is facing a bill of up to £250,000 after a court ruled that it must adhere to Tupe regulations after beating the Salvation Army in a tender bid to provide beds in Darlington.

Sixteen communities to pilot Big Society's Your Square Mile scheme

 

Sixteen of the most troubled communities in the UK are soon to be piloting the Your Square Mile initiative devised by the Big Society Network, the Network's founder Paul Twivy announced this week.

Higher-rate tax could boost workplace giving

 

Charities could stand to benefit from tax band changes which will see an additional 750,000 people paying 40 per cent tax on their salaries.

Commercial collection bins may not need disclosures

 

Companies operating clothing collection bins for charities may not be required by law to disclose how much they profit from the charity collection, Civil Society has learned.

Charity Technology Survey 2011 - win a £100 Amazon voucher

 

The Charity Technology Survey, is your chance to input into the most comprehensive analysis of IT, accounting and CRM software in the charity sector, and win £100 in the process.  

What's all the fuss about the Forestry Commission?

 

Gordon Hunter thinks the plans to sell off forests are 'pedestrian' and could go further.

Early Years and early days

 

As Sure Start centres throughout England prepare for possible closure in the face of impending cuts, London Early Years Foundation chief June O'Sullivan sums up the mood in the children's sector.

Frontline: Volunteering helps you work, rest and play

 

When you spend your days and nights on location, how do you distinguish between work and play? From the frontline in Romania, Beth Yorath ponders whether you even need to...

"Can we please drop the term 'Big Society'. It's crap terminology!  I don't want to live in a Big Society. I want to be part of a 'Caring Community'  - where people live 'IN Community"

"If Nick Hurd means by Big Society that he wants people to face up to their responsibilities beyond paying taxes, then why doesn't he call it 'charity' or 'philanthropy', and why doesn't he provide incentives to giving?"

"I do not see what the fuss is about. Well done SA for obtaining more funding this way. It may be useful to obtain other estimates for the re-cycling now and again to make sure they are getting the best deal, but it needn't be a break with Kettering - simply a negotiating factor."

They said it...

 Simon Roberts, chief executive, Centre for Sustainable Energy