Preserving Paid Services: Why Scotland Should Value Volunteering Without crashing into the Wigan Deal.

In recent discussions about public service reforms, there has been significant championing in the "Wigan Deal" model—a partnership approach pioneered by Wigan Council in England. This model emphasises the importance of collaboration between local authorities and communities, focusing on empowering residents to contribute to service delivery through volunteering.

However, while the principles of community empowerment and resourcefulness are laudable, there are compelling reasons why Scotland should be cautious about adopting this model wholesale. Instead, we need to recognize the value of volunteering and community action without allowing them to substitute for previously paid public services.

Firstly Wigan deal I once asked though an FOI in the end, whether Wigan council had undertaken an equalities impact assessment. The delayed response I finally got was and I quite verbatim. “The Deal was not initially a written strategy but rather a new approach of how we would deliver services with our residents. For this reason, it did not have a specific EIA but its whole basis is around treating everyone as individuals and was a new approach introduced in 2013/14. The Deal for the Future and Deal 2030 were the corporate strategies that followed based on this approach, hence they have the EIAs.”

The "Wigan Deal" has been praised for fostering a culture of mutual respect and cooperation between the council and its residents. However there was never an upfront assessment of equality. By encouraging citizens to participate actively in community life, the model aims to create a more resilient and self-reliant society. However, this approach can inadvertently lead to the erosion of formal public services, as essential services traditionally funded and provided by the government become increasingly dependent on voluntary contributions. It also doesn’t have any sense of the impact on certain groups if it’s not seen as whether of pre analysis of impact.

The Improvement Service's Positive Start to Local Government Transformation Programme highlights the importance of transforming local government services in a way that ensures sustainability and effectiveness. One key aspect of this transformation is recognizing the distinct roles that both paid services and volunteer efforts play in the community. Volunteering should complement, not replace, essential public services. Relying too heavily on volunteerism can create inequities and place undue pressure on volunteers, many of whom may not have the resources or time to fill the gaps left by reduced public funding.

https://www.improvementservice.org.uk/insights/2024/positive-start-to-local-government-transformation-programme

The Scottish analysis of Time Well Spent research from 2023 shows that an increasing number of adult volunteers feel that their volunteering is becoming too much like paid work and that the organisation they were supporting had ‘unreasonable expectations’. Similarly, our research exploring the experiences of young volunteers in 2022 found significant decreases in the reported wellbeing benefits of volunteering compared to 2019, with a 19% decline in young volunteers feeling happier, and a 17% decline in young volunteers feeling better about themselves.

These are worrying trends and could have significant implications for social capital in Scotland. To address these trends, Volunteer Scotland relaunched the Volunteer Charter last year. The Volunteer Charter, developed in partnership with the Scottish Trades Union Congress, provides 10 principles for ensuring positive, meaningful and legitimate volunteer experiences. It is endorsed in Scotland’s Volunteering Action Plan published in 2022.

One key principle of the Charter is that ‘volunteers should not carry out duties formerly carried out by paid workers, nor should they be used to disguise the effects of non-filled vacancies or cuts in services.’ VS have previously detailed examples of community volunteers who were struggling with the delivery of services previously undertaken by their local authority. Indeed, the Improvement Service’s model for the future of Scottish Local Authorities recommends ‘unlocking community action’ as a key anchor and spotlights a case study from England where a volunteer-led service was developed with a charity partner to replace a council delivered community meal programme, saving the council ￡200,000. This apparent suggestion that volunteers can be engaged in the delivery of services previously delivered by paid staff is alarming, and does not consider the wellbeing needs of volunteers.

The Active Communities Project Kick-Off Information published by the improvement service stresses the need for a balanced approach, where active community involvement is encouraged alongside robust public service provision. This ensures that communities remain empowered and engaged without being burdened with the responsibility of maintaining services that require professional expertise and consistent funding.

Research from Volunteer Scotland, as detailed in The State of Volunteering in 2023, reveals that while volunteering has significant benefits for both individuals and communities, there are limits to what can be expected from volunteers. The report highlights concerns about volunteer burnout and the sustainability of volunteer-driven services, especially in areas with high deprivation or where public services have been significantly cut.

Moreover, Volunteer Scotland's recent policy blog on fair funding emphasizes that sustainable volunteering cannot be achieved without adequate financial support. Fair funding for volunteer programs is essential to ensure that volunteers are properly trained, supported, and appreciated. It also ensures that volunteer efforts do not replace professional services but rather enhance them, providing added value to the community.

The risk of adopting the Wigan Deal model in Scotland is that it may lead to a reduction in public service quality and accessibility. By shifting the responsibility of service delivery onto volunteers, there is a danger of creating a two-tier system where only those communities with the capacity to mobilize volunteers receive adequate services. This could exacerbate existing injustices and undermine the principle of universal access to essential public services.

In conclusion, while the ethos behind the Wigan Deal—community empowerment and collaboration—is kind of commendable, Scotland must approach this model with extreme caution. We should value and promote volunteering and community action, recognizing their significant contributions to societal well-being. However, this should not come at the expense of substituting these efforts for professionally provided, publicly funded services. A balanced approach that integrates strong public services with active community participation is essential for building resilient, equitable, and sustainable communities in Scotland.

I previously asked whether we had reached high tide of Wigan deals, to paraphrase the old George formby pier line or but sadly it seems the tide still to come in!