Throughout the pandemic, local government, charities and volunteers have coordinated more than ever before.
Charities tell us that these improved relationships and partnerships have ultimately meant we can all better support communities, with everything from speedy vaccine rollouts to providing much-needed cheer and social connection for vulnerable or isolated groups.
In the ‘Road Ahead 2022’, the NCVO’s annual analysis of the operating environment and trends affecting our sector, we look at what this year has in store for charities and volunteering.
There are three things that we think local government and the voluntary sector should be thinking about – levelling up, new types of partnerships, and council finances.
The Government’s flagship levelling up agenda may be inspired by changing electoral geography, but if tackling inequality is the ultimate aim then charities and volunteers should be front and centre. Localism is at the heart of the voluntary sector, with 70 per cent of charities being small groups of local citizens coming together to change where they live.
So far, funding committed to levelling up has been for bricks and mortar, ‘hard’ infrastructure projects. But many areas receiving that investment also have a disproportionate lack of social connectivity and engagement. We’re pushing for social infrastructure – the spaces, places and opportunities that bring people together – to be included in the Government’s plans.
“Localism is at the heart of the voluntary sector”
When it comes to partnerships, we predict that the voluntary sector will increasingly have a role in taking over community assets at risk of closure, including pubs, post offices, museums, and sports and leisure facilities.
Co-operatives UK’s Community Shares Unit and the Government’s Community Ownership Fund are already facilitating this – as would the Liverpool City Region Land Commission’s recommendation of more powers to shift public and private land into community ownership, and community organisations being given first refusal to purchase publicly-owned land.
Other examples of new types of partnership between the voluntary sector and government include new hybrid models of adult social care delivery – examples of which are in place in Newham, Wigan, Knowsley and Colne Valley – as well as Preston Council’s innovative work on food-buying cooperatives.
Though many of us might yearn for stability rather than more change, there’s a unique opportunity to build on our newly strengthened relationships and reimagine new ways of delivering services to empower communities and citizens. Cross-sector, joined-up thinking could have a transformative impact.
Finally, money’s too tight not to mention. We know that local government finances are going to be hard hit. Even with additional money from central government, it’s not going to be enough to provide pre-pandemic levels of service.
We hope we don’t see councils declaring bankruptcy. But we must be honest and transparent with each other about the potential need to make difficult choices in pursuit of our joint goals. Charities deliver a range of services on behalf of local government. Charities don’t have an inherent right to survive or to win contracts, but communities do have a right to the services they deliver.
Even if it feels similar, the start of 2022 is not the same as 2021. We’re better prepared than at any point to face the challenges of the pandemic, and both our sectors have agency and choices to make.
And we both have a very special ability to provide dignity, purpose and hope to so many, even in the most testing circumstances.