Charlotte Prothero

The UK’s charities do incredible work, but too often lack the data and insight needed to go further.

CSEVO would be a new hub linking charities, funders, researchers & government—so evidence is shared, not siloed.

Thrilled with Wellbeing Poverty panel at Lib Dems.

Thanks to @alexkbrewer.bsky.social @dannychambers.bsky.social @joswinson.bsky.social Natalie Webb @paulfarmerceo.bsky.social for sharing insights.

Even small social connections matter—wellbeing should guide policy across departments.

@pbe.co.uk

A busy day 2 at Lib Dem Conference! Team TCS were engaging in discussions ranging from enrichment to curriculum reform, and from supporting carers to the value of wellbeing. Great to hear from @eddavey.libdems.org.uk, @munirawilson.bsky.social, @dannychambers.bsky.social & @wendychambld.bsky.social

Every LGBTQ+ young person deserves a safe space  | PBE Charlie* was looking for somewhere they could explore their emerging identity and feel supported as they considered socially transitioning – that is, beginning to live and be recognised in everyday li...

Free2Talk offers something vital for LGBTQ+ young people: a safe, identity-affirming space to belong.

@karol122.bsky.social and @charlotteprothero.bsky.social share Charlie’s story, and the value of the programme which could deliver £4 of wellbeing benefit for every £1 spent.

Read it here 👇

Spielman says school wellbeing checks 'counterproductive' The former chief inspector of Ofsted spoke out against measuring wellbeing during a House of Lords debate.

Dismissing national wellbeing measurement misses the point. Britain’s teenagers have the lowest wellbeing in Europe. Parents even rank wellbeing above exam results when choosing a school. If we don’t measure it, we won’t understand the scale of the challenge.

schoolsweek.co.uk/pupil-wellbe...

Looking forward to this discussion at the Liberal Democrat Party Conference on how we can tackle wellbeing poverty and ensure everyone has the chance to live a decent quality of life.

YouTube video by PBE Lord Gus O’Donnell on the importance of wellbeing measurement for children and young people

Around 60% of schools measure wellbeing voluntarily, but inconsistent tools and definitions make it hard to compare results or know what works.

Alongside our partners and a coalition of 60+ orgs, we'll continue to call for wellbeing measurement in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

"If we get this right, it will be the most important thing we have done in this Bill - but, at the moment, there is no measurement,” said Lord Gus O’Donnell in yesterday’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill debate.

🔗 www.ourwellbeingourvoice.org
🎥 Watch his speech below 👇

Pension fund supports families out of homelessness The first local families have moved into newly refurbished homes as part of a £30m investment aimed at tackling homelessness

🏡 A brilliant example of the impact economy in action.

£30m from Gloucestershire Pension Fund has helped house families facing homelessness, by social impact investor Resonance, and charity DHI.

Local capital, local solutions. More of this. 👏

housingdigital.co.uk/pension-fund...

Civil society’s true economic contribution valued at nearly £40bn by think tank

Civil society’s true economic contribution valued at nearly £40bn by think tank @pbe.co.uk & @gradel-institute.bsky.social

Ella's logo

📢 Volunteer with Ella’s, a charity supporting survivors of trafficking.

Help build an Excel dashboard & improve impact reporting. ~5 days work, Aug–Sept. UK-based only. Use your data skills for good!

Apply: pbe.co.uk/vacancies/da...

#DataForGood #Volunteering

When we asked about lowering the voting age to 16 last year the public tended to oppose the proposals. By a 48% to 27% margin. There were however stark age divides; younger voters more likely to back the proposals, older voters dead against.

Economic growth is only meaningful if it leads to an improvement in people's overall wellbeing.

Third sector warns wealth tax will hit philanthropy A wealth tax of the sort being considered by the government would leave a multibillion-pound hole in charities' finances, bosses have warned

What impact could a wealth tax have on charitable giving?

In @cityam.bsky.social @pbe.co.uk warns it could hit legacy income, a funding source for charities.

As the gov’t considers taxing assets over £10m, it must weigh the risk to philanthropy.

Read: www.cityam.com/third-sector...
#WealthTax

Fix renting to fix lives - Red Brick Dr Beth Kitson, Research and Policy Analyst at PBE, explores how renters are not just paying more in rent, but also paying the price in lower wellbeing. Housing reform is not only about correcting mar...

Renters face not only higher costs but also lower wellbeing.

@pbe.co.uk identified 110,000 individuals experience decreased wellbeing due to private renting, costing £3.7k per person annually.

Read @redbrickblog.bsky.social piece: redbrickblog.co.uk/2025/07/fix-...

Chart showing the proportion of respondents reporting supporting a charity in some form between 2020 and 2025. Shows relatively flat trends in volunteering and working for a charity, but marked reductions in those donating money or goods and in those using a charity shop.

Chart showing the proportion of respondents reporting receiving some form of support from a charity between 2020 and 2025. Shows significant increases across all three categories: those attending a charity-run community facility; those receiving food, financial, medical or similar help; and those using other charity services such as advice or outdoor space.

Also shows decline in financial support for charities post-pandemic, alongside significantly rising demand for charity services. More needed and well trusted, but less well resourced: it’s not hard to see (i) why the sector is under pressure; and (ii) why we'd all benefit if it was less so

"People don't see GDP growth as making a difference to their everyday lives" CBI

“We need to create an accountability for wellbeing” @pbe.co.uk

“Renters are more than three times as likely to be living in wellbeing poverty” @pbe.co.uk

How Labour can get to grips with the mental health crisis With its schools bill, the government has a chance to finally get the proper measure of kids' wellbeing

"If we treasure children and young people's wellbeing as parents do, we must start to measure it - not to judge, but to improve"

@pbe.co.uk @childrenssociety.bsky.social @beewelluk.bsky.social @thefea.bsky.social

schoolsweek.co.uk/labour-must-...

Government accused of prioritising pensioners over children Spending gap widens 170pc as political parties chase ‘grey vote’

"Last year, public spending per pensioner was £12,600 higher than it was per child ... spending on pensioners has increased by more than half in the past two decades, while the amount of taxpayer cash devoted to children has lagged."

www.telegraph.co.uk/money/retire...

Over 14,000 UK grantmakers collectively provided £23 billion in grants, this year a 7% increase. Notably, Trusts & Foundations' giving jumped 12% to £8.2bn, and Donor-Advised Funds saw a 20% rise to £2.1bn, becoming a growing income source for charities.

#UKGrants #Philanthropy #VoluntarySector

Individuals with specific learning difficulties like dyslexia earn approximately £8,000 less per year, resulting in an estimated £1.4 billion in lost annual earnings.

Jamie Oliver is back on his soap box - but the Government isn’t listening The chef wants to help children with dyslexia enjoy school, but Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson only offers platitudes

“Ten to 15 per cent of every classroom in the UK is made up of children with dyslexia. These children are three-and-a-half times more likely to be expelled from school than their neurotypical peers.”

inews.co.uk/culture/tele...

Who’s on board? Closing the diversity gap in charity leadership  | PBE Sign up now to hear about PBE's latest research on trustee diversity and what's needed to build more inclusive charity boards.

Charity boards need more diverse voices! Our new report shows key stats on trustees: median age 65-69, only 8% from ethnic minority backgrounds, 43% women.

Join this free webinar 24 June to discuss solutions & build inclusive boards! 👇

pbe.co.uk/event/whos-o...

Revealed: 5,000 English nature sites at risk under Labour’s planning proposals Exclusive: Planning bill includes mechanism for developers to ‘pay to pollute’ valuable ecosystems, experts warn

More than 5,000 of England’s most sensitive, rare and protected natural habitats are at high risk of being destroyed by development under Labour’s new planning bill.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Who gets a say in how charities are run? Broadening access to trusteeship  | PBE More than 700,000 people volunteer their time each year as trustees in England and Wales, collectively filling nearly a million board positions. These individuals are vital to the success of the chari...

700,000+ people volunteer as charity trustees each year.

But who are they?

Mostly older, wealthier, non-disabled—and often found through personal networks.

If we want stronger charities, we need more open, inclusive boards. Wrote about it here: pbe.co.uk/insights/who...

Dormant Assets Scheme Strategy

The new Dormant Assets Scheme Strategy will include:

£132.5 million for young people
£132.5 million for financial inclusion
£87.5 million for social investment
£87.5 million for community wealth funds

But youth services by local councils have lost £1.2bn since 2010.

www.gov.uk/government/p...

Jeremy Clarkson is already bored with farming and is now focusing on his pub venture.

In Season 4 of Clarkson’s Farm, he purchased a country pub, highlighting the connection between pub closures and the rural loneliness crisis.

He makes a valid point: community spaces are important.

Children to be taught to show some ‘grit’ Pupils need more robust mental health, say ministers in drive to tackle worklessness crisis

“By deploying NHS-led, evidence-based intervention during children’s formative years, we will not only halt the spiral towards crisis but cultivate much-needed grit amongst the next generation.” – Bridget Phillipson & Wes Streeting

www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/998f11a...