Faith in the Future

Robert Beard

Faith in the Future

Robert Beard 18 Arnside Road

SHEFFIELD S8 0UX

+(0)114 255 6335

arjay61@hotmail.com

What the minister said:

• “A huge difference day-in and day-out, to every single neighbourhood in the country…

• “Not been sufficiently recognised by central Government…

• “Build on the huge amount of experience faith groups have in getting out into the community.”

What the minister said:

• “Faith gives rise to kindnesses and other civic contributions.

• “Faith shapes beliefs, behaviour and a sense of purpose…

• “Government should be helping people of faith express themselves in this way.”

What the minister said:

• “A vital contribution to national life: • “Guiding the moral outlook of many,

inspiring… public service,• “Providing support to those in need.• “Experience, volunteers and

connections that can put them at the heart of their neighbourhood.”

Faiths offer...

• essential services• infrastructure• intelligence, experience, expertise• extended reach• democratic renewal• economic contribution• constructive criticism and challenge

Faiths offer...

Faith contribution to local economy:• 5000 social action projects• volunteers: £60.6 million - £64.6

million a year• premises: £574,755 - £811,472 a

year• overall contribution: £90.7 million -

£94.9 million a year

Local Enterprise Partnerships

• No mention of faith communities or faith-based organisations in proposals invitation

• ‘Not sufficiently recognised by government...’?• ‘Government helping people of faith...’?• ‘A vital contribution to national life...’?

• right to buy offer• right to challenge does not

give right to deliver• procurement law favours

large organisations• protection for valued local

services?• longer than 6 months to bid• emergency appeal process

Localism Bill – can it deliver?

Real power for communities

• www.rp4c.org.uk

nef reportCutting it: The ‘Big Society’ and

the new austerity

• “The doors are wide open for big global corporations… to take over state functions…”

• “How much room will the big corporates leave for… small voluntary organisations…?”

Impact of sopending cuts

• VCS organisations being stretched beyond capacity– speed f cuts– front-loading of cuts– implementation of cuts

• essential services facing real and immediate threat

Because it’s

there!

Big Society Bank

• funded from ‘dormant’ accounts

• to capitalise and encourage loans to CSOs

• £200 million loans to launch Big Society Bank

• BSB loans for existing or only for new groups?

• too costly for small CSOs?

National Citizen Service

• 1,000 signed up so far• NCS facebook page• 11,000 places in 2011• 30,000 places in 2012• 965,000 16-24 year-olds

unemployed in Feb 2011

Government funding

• £5 million for CUF Near Neighbours project– bring people together in diverse communities– build relationships– collaborate for community improvement

• £5,000 max. grant• bid for funding through local parish Church• starting in M62 corridor, Leicester, East London,

Birmingham

“The opposite of faith is…

“The opposite of faith is

…the market.”

Neil Jameson, Citizens UK

Cost of production < price at sale

Serve food or service debt?

Servants of God or servants of market?

The market – like God?

The market – unlike God?

We “cannot serve God and Mammon.”

Places for all in God’s economy

Please give me time and I will repay in

full…

Unemployment at 2.53 million in January

• 965,000 18-24 year olds

“The price of this financial crisis is being borne by people who absolutely did not cause it.”

Mervyn King

Governor of the Bank of England