THERE is no secular agenda at the heart of the present Government, and believers are not being marginalised. Such an agenda “would be utterly misguided”, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, John Denham, told representatives at a conference on faith and social action this week.
He described faith groups as “unsung heroes”, whose work the country could not afford to overlook. Their efforts in providing services to the elderly and campaigning on behalf of the vulnerable, were “a powerful force for good”. The minister announced a prize to “reward the most outstanding examples from around the country; whether their area of expertise is in youth work, campaigning and advocacy, or interfaith work”. Winners will share a prize of £50,000.
Mr Denham acknowledged that locally-run groups, in particular, felt “cut out of the loop, and excluded by those who are commissioning services. You don’t feel that you are competing on a level playing-field for contracts or for funding,” he said. “I have made it clear to councils, in no uncertain terms, that the often excellent services that the third sector can provide . . . must not be excluded in a narrow-minded rush to cut costs.”
Myths that “all believers seek to push their beliefs on other people” had “no basis in policy or decisions”. All councils would be receiving copies of a series of “myth-busters”, which would rebut those misperceptions.
He announced the setting-up of a £1.2-million “Faith in Leadership in Government” fund, to which “genuinely representative organisations . . . will be able to bid for funds which will help them get involved more consistently on more issues”.
Mr Denham reiterated that although he would describe himself as “a secular humanist, someone without faith, I do have the deepest respect for the contribution of faith groups and the way that faith has shaped our history.”
Speakers at the conference included Nims Obunge, chief executive of the Peace Alliance; Neil Jameson, executive director of London Citizens; and Husna Ahmad, chief executive of the Faith Regen Foundation.
innovationprize@communities.gsi.gov.uk