According to a latest report by Nesta, a foundation engaged in innovation initiatives, the total contribution made by volunteers to public services amounts to a whopping GBP 34 billion.
The report, titled ‘People Helping People’, states examples of volunteering towards ‘social action’. These activities include spending time with patients who have no family or reading to school students and so on. The researchers arrived at the figure by using data from the Community Life Survey that was conducted in 2012-13. The actual hourly rates of various types of activities conducted by volunteers were applied to the total hours spent volunteering for public services every month.
According to minister for civil society, Brooks Newmark, this latest report lays down actionable insights for citizens. It also provides inputs about how the power of public service volunteers can be better channeled into the improvement of communities and businesses.
The report by Nesta not only provides data and figures, but also calls on public sector entities to create more volunteering opportunities that can be taken up by citizens in accordance to their skills and capabilities.
The report outlines a comprehensive list of recommendations for making public sector volunteering more open to the many benefits of attracting more volunteers. Among other suggestions, it says that deserving volunteers could be offered council tax rebates.
According to the deputy CEO of Nesta, said that creating more volunteering opportunities for ordinary citizens to help one another needs to be central to the vision of the public services of the future.
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