Latest News

The Community and Voluntary Sector Forum (CVSF) is calling for the impact of any funding cuts to community and voluntary sector services to be fully thought through before being made. CVSF is also calling for ongoing communication with the sector and consultation with service users and providers.

Brighton and Hove's community and voluntary sector provides a wide range of cost effective range of services, especially for the city's most vulnerable people. This includes 57,600 hours a week of volunteer labour, donated to the city by local people, and worth £520,000 a week[1].

Where cuts are made, CVSF is calling for very clear evidence of the impact such cuts will have, especially the effect they will have on residents.

Sally Polanski, Chief Executive of CVSF says: "Any cuts are likely to have a detrimental effect on residents, and especially on people who are vulnerable.  We already know that 20% of dependent children live in households with no working adults[2]' The effects of the recession mixed with less money for services could be deeply damaging."

CVSF also argues that cuts made now are not necessarily going to save money in the long run. Ms Polanski continued: "We are concerned that more people will loose their jobs and this will have a knock on effect on the economy, housing, probably an increase in homelessness and an increase in the number of people desperate for advice from the very services which have just been cut. Picking up the pieces will be a burden not only on the benefits bill but also the council, the health service, and probably the police and courts too.

"It should not be assumed that voluntary sector contracts are easier to cut than larger or private sector ones, which it has been argued may be difficult or expensive to terminate.  The Compact Code on Funding and Commissioning, which sets outs requirements around consultation and notice periods should be followed and Equalities Impacts Assessments should be undertaken.  There is also potential for challenging cuts using Public Law should this be necessary.

"We do understand the government has to manage the public purse and this means tough decisions for local funders. But starting with a full assessment of the impact of any cuts before they are made will, we think, save money in the long run."

Ends

Notes to editors

1. CVSF is a membership organisation which support the local third sector. It has over 550 local community groups, voluntary groups, charities and social enterprises in its membership. 

[1] From Taking Account, an economic and social audit of the third sector in Brighton and Hove, in 2008.  A partnership project between CVSF, Brighton University and other partners in the city. 

[2] From the Sustainable Community Strategy, 2010)

Is your group being hit by the recession?  Apply now for up to £1,000 to help you weather the storm. 

“More people need our service and we are struggling to cope with demand”

Would £1,000 help?

‘Ready, Responding & Resilient Grants’ for the community and voluntary sector in Brighton & Hove are being managed by the ChangeUp consortium. The funding is being provided by Brighton & Hove City Council to help support the community and voluntary sector to manage the impacts of the recession.

Your group can apply for up to £1,000 to pay for support services to help you manage.  The support will come from local organisations who understand your needs.

You might want practical services like printing or to hire equipment. Or you might find one to one advice or training helpful.  The funding will be given on a ‘first come-first served’ basis to groups operating within Brighton & Hove.

Are we eligible?

• You must operate within Brighton & Hove
• You must be a not-for-profit organisation with a turnover of less than £200,000 per year.
• You must explain how the recession is affecting your group

Be local: Buy local

• You will be expected to buy services locally with this money where possible
• We will tell you about free services if we know of them!

It’s not worth the hassle for a small amount of money!

There is no hassle because the application is only one side of A4. Feedback is one side of A4 plus copy(ies) of relevant invoices. Please use this funding - if it’s too complicated or hard, do tell us and we’ll change!

If you have any questions please contact Emma Daniel, Project Manager on 01273 810230 or email emma@cvsectorforum.org.uk

Application Form

Directory of Recession Support Services

The Community and Voluntary Sector Forum has today (Thursday 17 June) published briefings on the coalition government and The Big Society.

They describe the areas of agreement between the coalition parties, what was included in the Queen's Speech, key policies relevent to the community and voluntary sector and who's who in the government.

The Coalition Government Briefing

The Big Society Briefing

Or visit the CVSF Briefings page of our site.

The full report from CVSF's New Horizon conference on 26 May 2010 has now been published.

With speeches by John Barraddell Chief Executive of Brighton and Hove City Council, and Liz Atkins, Director of Policy at NCVO, as well as summaries of all eight workshops, this is important reading for everyone in the community and voluntary sector.

New Horizon Report

 

 

"Basing the day on the Sustainable Communities Strategy was informative and I felt that issues being grappled with were current and relevant" 

 

 

It won't have escaped your notice that the UK general election will be held on Thursday 6 May 2010. The political outcome is by no means certain and the constituencies in Brighton and Hove are likely to be hotly contested parliamentary seats. Whichever party comes to power the election will bring about significant change. Arguably we need to build understanding of our sector, and the issues that concern us, with politicians of all sides.

But what are the main political parties promising for the third sector? Not got time to read the full manifestos? Then read CVSF's summary guide instead and get to grips with what the election means for us.

We've relocated and our contact details have changed.

The way forward ...With the growing support of our members the CVSF has continued to develop strongly. As a result we've relocated into new offices at Brighton Junction.

We moved into an Ethical Property Co. building and our facilities have improved, helping us to deliver an even better service to our members and to the community at large.

Our new address and telephone details are:

CVSF
Brighton Junction
1A Isetta Square
35 New England Street
Brighton
BN1 4GQ

Telephone 01273 810230
Fax 01273 810231

email info@cvsectorforum.org.uk

In Brighton Junction and ready to rock ...We're are still very near to Brighton Station, behind Jury's Inn. Go down the steps at the side, cross over the road, take more steps opposite, turn right and the entrance is there.

We're quite easy to find but if you'd like more directions, please get in touch and we'll be pleased to send you the information or talk you in.

We look forward to seeing you.

 

The Community and Voluntary Sector Forum's new annual report is now out. In a poster format, it illustrates the organisation's structure and work.

It can be downloaded by clicking on the link below.

2009/2009 Annual Report

A new directory listing hundreds of community groups, charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises has just been published by The Community and Voluntary Sector Forum.

With contact details and descriptions of over 500 groups and organisations, the directory is a valuable source of information for members of the CVSF, as well as for people working in other sectors and for members of the public.

The directory is free of charge and available from The Community and Voluntary Sector Forum on 01273 234000 or email info@cvsectorforum.org.uk

Directory

The ChangeUp Consortium, including the City Council, are developing an action plan for the third sector in recession. You can find out about the impact, issues and priorities on our Recession Action Planning pages, including:

• Positions Statements,
• Research Report, and
• Feedback from the Don't Get Burnt conference