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Vulnerable people to benefit as majority of local councils make third sector a top priority

30 June 2008
CAB/075/08

The most vulnerable people in local communities stand to benefit more than ever from the support of charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises, now that a majority of England's local councils have made it a top priority to have an active and thriving third sector.

In a sign of unprecedented support for local third sector organisations, and in recognition of the invaluable work they do to strengthen communities and help the disadvantaged, almost two thirds of Local Authorities (LAs) have decided that having a vibrant and effective local third sector will be a priority for them over the next three years.

Under a new system in place this year, all top tier local authority areas will be measured on their performance against 198 new National Indicators (NIs), two of which focus on the third sector. In addition, each area has had the opportunity to prioritise 35 NIs that will particularly meet local needs, and will be the targets that sit at the heart of each council's Local Area Agreement.

Under this new system, 93 of England's top tier 150 LAs – 62 percent of them – have chosen to prioritise one of the two third sector indicators: NI6 – participation in regular volunteering; and NI7 – creating an environment for a thriving third sector.

These indicators have been included by LAs in every region of the country – in urban, inner city and rural areas, covering over 65 percent of the population. Part of this success is due to the way that Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) are involving third sector organisations in important decisions about local priorities.

In addition to these specific indicators, third sector organisations will be vital delivery partners for LAs across a range of other NIs and play an important role in holding LAs to account for the quality of other services.

Phil Hope, Minister for the Third Sector, said:

“This is a defining moment for the third sector and the Government's work to help it thrive. I'm convinced that more volunteers and a genuine partnership between government and the third sector will strengthen communities and bring real improvements to all our lives, especially for the most disadvantaged.

“I applaud those councils that recognise they need to do more to support and engage charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises. Neither of the third sector national indicators are easy options but investment in them will be paid back many times over. Quite simply, a strong third sector will be a powerful partner in tackling other local priorities from reducing social exclusion to promoting sport.”

The LAs' third sector choices breakdown as follows:

The news received a very warm welcome from third sector leaders.

Stuart Etherington, CEO of NCVO said:

“Local authorities must recognise the crucial role our sector plays in supporting and strengthening civil society. The relationship between voluntary and community organisations and local government is key to creating a thriving sector.

“I am pleased that almost two-thirds of all local agreements in England will be including a national indicator about the sector. I look forward to seeing more progress being made against these measures. We will continue to work closely with DCLG and OTS and learn from their findings.”

Stephen Bubb, CEO of Acevo, said:

“The take up of these indicators is far better than I expected. It is remarkable that so many local authorities are putting third sector relationships at the top of their agenda. This has to be a good thing, as local government is the source of so much of the sector's funding.

“The Government has shown its commitment to ensuring the environment is there for a thriving third sector, and I look forward to seeing further proposals in the Community Empowerment White Paper.”

Kevin Curley, CEO of NAVCA, said:

“It is great news that so many of the new LAAs include national indicators 6 or 7 as designated targets. This reflects the value that the government and local authorities place on the third sector and is recognition of the key role that the sector can play in delivering local services and addressing local needs. NAVCA would like to see any LSP that has not adopted NI6 and NI7 to adopt them as local priority indicators – without a thriving third sector it will be impossible to meet many of the other targets.”

The new Local Area Agreements (LAAs) replace 1200 old targets with the 198 national indicators. This puts devolution in to practice by giving local authorities greater power to focus their resources on the issues that are important to their communities.

Performance against NI 6 will be measured using CLG's Place Survey and NI 7 through the Office of the Third Sector's new national survey of third sector organisations.

Notes to Editors

  1. The sign off of the new LAAs was announced today by the Hazel Blears, Secretary of State for Communities and local government. For further information see: www.localpriorities.communities.gov.uk [External website].
  2. For further information on NI 6 and NI 7 see briefing notes on the Partnership Working section of the OTS website: Local Government Performance Framework.
  3. As part of the Cabinet Office, the Office of the Third Sector leads work across government to support the environment for a thriving third sector (voluntary and community groups, social enterprises, charities, cooperatives and mutuals), enabling the sector to campaign for change, deliver public services, promote social enterprise and strengthen communities.For further information see: www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/thirdsector.
  4. A graphic depicting regional take up of both third sector national indicators and case studies of local authorities that have selected them are available from the Cabinet Office press office.
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