Policy

As local government undergoes major changes, NAVCA is committed to ensuring our members and the communities they support are ready to navigate both the challenges and opportunities ahead. In this blog, Maddy Desforges OBE, NAVCA CEO, explores these changes and how NAVCA is working alongside ACRE to support the VCSE sector.

It’s no surprise that funding plays a role in shaping what local infrastructure organisations (LIOs) are able to do - but it’s not the full picture. New research from the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research at Sheffield Hallam University highlights the complex conditions that influence an LIO’s effectiveness and sustainability.

The voluntary and community sector is large and diverse. It includes the big household name charities, as well as the smallest, often unregistered, voluntary and community groups. These groups could be described as the ‘microbiome’ of the sector – they are essential to community health and wellbeing, just as the human microbiome is essential to our individual health. However, the voluntary sector microbiome often goes unseen and unrecognised, despite playing an essential role in communities.

As part of our section 114 project with Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, we spoke to Jules Sebelin, CEO of NAVCA member Nottingham CVS, about the role of local infrastructure, and what the future looks like for Nottingham as they navigate a section 114 notice.

The Autumn Budget announcement saw many potential changes and challenges for the voluntary sector and for the communities we work with. In our latest blog post, we highlight some of the key announcements and what they could mean for NAVCA members and their local communities.