THERE are plenty of debates to be had about the rights and wrongs of this era of austerity, but one certainty is that it has placed greater emphasis on the importance of the voluntary sector.

Long before David Cameron coined the phrase "The Big Society", a vast range of voluntary organisations were the glue holding our society together in all kinds of ways.

With the public sector squeeze continuing, the voluntary sector is having to provide a lot more of that glue but, in Darlington, the organisation set up to represent that network of community groups has come unstuck.

This week, Evolution announced that it would be closing in the summer following Darlington Borough Council's decision to scale back its funding in the midst of the continuing financial challenges facing the public sector.

That has been followed today by details of an in-depth review of Evolution's performance which makes uncomfortable reading. It criticises the organisation for failing to adequately deliver services and to properly support and engage with voluntary organisations.

There are accusations of a lack of transparency in the way it worked and a lack of accountability but Evolution chairman, Cliff Brown, has responded by insisting that the concerns are largely without foundation and the findings of the review will be challenged.

We have enjoyed a good relationship with Evolution but we are not in a position to make an accurate assessment of our own about whether it was doing a good job.

Suffice to say that the public debate over whether Evolution was fit for purpose is only just beginning and reputations are at stake.

With nearly £200,000 of public money having been spent on Evolution since 2012, the scrutiny of its performance should be fair, balanced and fully transparent.

All those wonderful volunteer organisations which do so much valuable work – much of it unseen – deserve nothing less.