Press release Voluntary groups get funding boost from London Councils

Londoners will benefit from a more coordinated and developed voluntary sector thanks to a £2 million funding boost announced by London Councils today (Wednesday).

The money will help London's voluntary groups work closer together and enable them to share best practice which will help them develop their services to provide better support for people across the capital.

Chair of London Councils Grants Committee, Cllr Paul McCannah, said;

"London's voluntary sector plays an important role in supporting our local communities and we are delighted to be able to provide them with a funding boost to support this important work

"This funding provides a win-win situation for both the capital's voluntary groups and Londoners who rely on their services.

"It will help the capital's voluntary and community groups work closer together and to learn from each other ways of improving and expanding their services and developing the skills of their volunteers.

"This, in turn, will have obvious positive knock-on benefits for the people, in most cases the most vulnerable people in our communities, who rely on these services."

London Councils' Grants Committee will commission five groups to provide support to organisations across the capital.

Havering Association of Voluntary Community Organisations will receive £149,090 a year to work with groups in east London to develop services around sustainable communities in the Thames Gateway Area.

Central London CVS Network was awarded £104,363 a year to help pay for a coordinator and an Information Officer to help support groups in the centre of London.

Richmond CVS will receive £97,454 a year towards funding a manager, development worker and more administration support to help the voluntary sector in South London.

Voluntary groups in west London will receive greater support through a £89,454 a year grant to Hounslow Voluntary Sector Forum, while Barnet Voluntary Service Council received £59,639 a year to help support groups in north London.

The £2 million will be distributed to the groups over four years.

London Councils distributes a pan-London grants budget of £28 million. This includes £1.6 million European Social Fund money. It also includes £1.4m which has been set aside for specific second tier funding.

London Councils is now using its pan-London grants budget to commission services from London's voluntary sector. This change follows the findings of an independently chaired Grants Review Board. This was set up in 2004 to look at the distribution of the pan-London grants in individual boroughs, sub regions and across the whole of London. It also looked at areas of good practice from other funding bodies.

The new priority areas that will be used to commission services were developed following an extensive consultation with the voluntary sector, boroughs, the Mayor of London, and people with an interest in London's voluntary sector.

Services will be commissioned in four tranches over the next year.

Any member of the media wanting more information should contact Stewart Henderson on 020 7934 9620 or at stewart.henderson@londoncouncils.gov.uk