A landmark ruling means that charities can now deliver services, which public authorities have a statutory duty to provide. The decision announced by the Charity Commission goes against its previous approach and recognises the increasing involvement of the voluntary sector in providing services.Formerly the Commission’s line was that charities could not usually use charitable funds to pay for public services, where a public authority had a duty to provide them, but could only supplement them.

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Councils are to be offered ownership of products developed by the Local e-Government National Projects. This will be done as part of the long-term strategy for local e-government and will enable all local authorities to continue to reap benefits from the products.The announcement is seen as being consistent with the lead taken by local authorities in developing the National Projects. The National Projects are the building blocks that help local authorities in England to deliver local e-government. They have been developed on the ‘build once, use often’ principle, enabling any local authority interested in achieving service improvements and making efficiency savings to take them up. Development of the majority of the Projects will be complete by the end of next month.

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By James L. CreightonInternationally renowned facilitator and public participation consultant James L. Creighton offers a practical guide to designing and facilitating participation of the public in environmental and public policy decision making. Written for government officials, public and community leaders, and professional facilitators, The Public Participation Handbook is a toolkit for designing a participation process, selecting techniques to encourage participation, facilitating successful public meetings, working with the media, and evaluating the program. The book is also filled with practical advice, checklists, worksheets, and illustrative examples.

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