Lisa Nandy MP, Labour’s Shadow Minister for Civil Society, has written to Sir Jeremy Heywood asking for an urgent investigation into the links between the Big Society Network, Mr Rose, and the Conservative party.

Below is the text of the letter sent to Sir Jeremy Heywood yesterday, and also the text of the letter that Lisa Nandy MP sent to David Cameron earlier this week in which she expresses concern over the discovery that the Cabinet Office has wasted large sums of Government funding questionable ‘Big Society Network’ projects which ended in failure.

Letter to Sir Jeremy Heywood:

25th July 2014

Dear Sir Jeremy,

I am writing following my letter to the Prime Minister regarding the damning National Audit Office’s report on grants made to the Big Society Network and the Society Network Foundation. I asked how it was possible for the Cabinet Office to break its own rules on the allocation of grants when funding the Society Network Foundation’s programmes and called for a full investigation into allegations that undue pressure was placed on the Big Lottery Fund and others to provide funding for the Big Society Network’s projects. 

However since writing to the Prime Minister, it has come to light that the Co-founder and Chairman of the Big Society Network, Mr Martyn Rose, is also a Conservative party donor. According to the Electoral Commission’s records, Mr Rose donated in excess of £50,000 through his company Martyn Rose Limited during the six month period between December 2009 and June 2010.

When Mr Rose’s relationship with the Conservative party is taken into consideration with the serious allegations that the Government was pressuring organisations to fund the Big Society Network’s programmes, it is clear that there are questions to answer.  It is a deeply concerning state of affairs. 

I would therefore ask if you could urgently investigate the links between the Big Society Network, Mr Rose, and the Conservative party.

I have attached a copy of my letter to the Prime Minister for your information.

Yours sincerely,

Lisa Nandy MP
Shadow Minister for Civil Society

Letter to Prime Minister: 

23rd July 2014 

Dear Prime Minister, 

By now you will have seen the damning National Audit Office report regarding grants made to the Big Society Network and Society Network Foundation.

I hope you were as concerned as I was to discover that the Cabinet Office has wasted large sums of government funding on questionable projects which ended in such failure. It is extraordinary that millions of pounds have been squandered, especially in this current climate where funding is scarce and many charitable organisations are fighting for survival.

I would urge you to set up an immediate investigation into how the Cabinet Office so clearly broke its own rules, and whether undue pressure was put on the Big Lottery to award funding to the Big Society Network and Society Network Foundation. I’m sure you will be keen to ascertain how these two key aspects of your flagship ‘Big Society’ policy could have fallen into such disrepute particularly considering you personally launched the Big Society Network in No. 10 just four years ago. Since NAO’s investigation was published other worrying allegations have come to light that undue pressure was also put on the organisation, NESTA, to provide money to the Big Society Network. Again I urge you to set up an investigation into whether such practices took place at the heart of your Government.

This episode has caused a great deal of concern among the public and the charity sector. I am certain this will damage public confidence in the Government. I would therefore ask for your personal assurances that you will fully commit to finding out how such practices were allowed to take place and I would be grateful for an urgent response to the following questions:

• Will there be an investigation into the Cabinet Office’s behaviour that addresses why the Cabinet Office broke its own rules and whether Ministers put undue pressure on the Big Lottery Fund?
• Did Ministers put pressure on any other organisations, including NESTA, to fund the Big Society Network or the Society Network Foundation?
• Why was the criteria changed to allow organisations that had existed for less than two years to receive funding from the Cabinet Office and will this now be reversed?
• Why was a second payment of £98,700 made to the Society Network Foundation in October 2012, despite the fact that the Cabinet Office was aware the project was failing?
• Did a Minister authorise the second payment for the Get In project, and on what basis was that decision taken?
• Why didn’t the Cabinet Office investigate how its initial payment to the Society Network Foundation for the Get In project had been spent, and why was no account taken of the fact that – at the time the second payment was made – the project was in surplus of £60,800?
• What steps is the Government taking to recover the £119,900 of taxpayers’ money it has wasted through the Get In project?

Yours sincerely,

Lisa Nandy MP

Shadow Minister for Civil Society