Rural Voluntary & Community Activity David Wood Contact:

What is the Voluntary & Community Sector?  VCS comprises: - Organisations set up to help those in need - Not part of government (public sector) - Not for profit (private sector) - “The Third Sector”  Voluntary Formal constituted body. May be registered charity May be registered Company Limited by Guarantee May have associated trading companies Employ staff; Use volunteers Rural Action East, MENTER, COVER Age Concern, Oxfam, Scope, etc

The VCS?  Community Individuals tackling issue for their local community Unpaid volunteers Play group, disabled swimming club, village hall management committee, Friends of Rushmere primary school  What is a Parish Council? - Raises precept: Local authority? - Locally based, all volunteers: Community Group?

More VCS!  Social Enterprises - Organisations that engage in not-for-profit business - Eg Co-ops; Community Enterprises; Social Firms, Credit Unions  Registered Social Landlords  Community Interest Companies Not charities but trading for social purposes  Variable; Varying; Diverse; Vast in number

Rural Settlements  80% East of England is rural  ~50% people live in rural areas & growing  Geographic isolation Small, dispersed, insular communities Remote from political influence  Lack of services Rural premium for local provision Lack of transport for remote access

Rural Communities  Dispersed, hidden social exclusion Facilities for children & youth Isolation of elderly  Low unemployment but low value, low skill jobs  In-migration of older affluent professionals Quality of life  Out-migration of young individuals families Employment  Lack of affordable housing  High reliance on voluntary & community activity

Rural (Community) VCS  Fill gap in public service provision Community centres, transport, youth clubs, waste recycling  Fill gap in private service provision Sub POs, village stores, ICT access points  Need proactive work to build their capacity Facilities and training Advice on governance Connections with external agencies/networks Access to grants

Support to Rural VCS  Community-focused, integrated service  Universal support for groups, communities and individuals (generic advice) Interaction between groups in community  Connections with specialist support  Involvement in direct service delivery  Delivery of delegated grants  Advocacy for political influence and investment

Policy Context  Community activists (volunteers)  Community engaged policy LSP community strategies  Community involved delivery Market town regeneration partnerships Social enterprises  Partnership Delivery Local Area Agreements (LAAs) Voluntary & Community Sector (VCS)

Rural Action East & Rural Community Councils  Network of independent charities  Considerable experience & sustainability 10 to 85 years in our region  Whole county coverage Social Inclusion / Hard-to-reach Extensive network of out-reach workers Holistic approach to community development  Specialised rural focus  Service delivery  Infrastructure support to VCS

East of England RCC Network  Staff ~174 Many with above average qualifications  Turnover ~ £6.55M  Funds leveraged ~£22M  Partnerships ~ 180  Communities supported ~1,500  Voluntary organisations helped ~6,000  Resources – meeting rooms, literature  Publications – reports, mags, notes, web sites

Core Business  Rural renaissance & regeneration  Enhancement of the quality of life  For all in rural communities  Achieved by Community development  Individual development  Access to funding

RCC Activities  Community Support - Informal & informal groups & volunteers  Community Planning - Parish Plans, Rural Housing Enablers, LDF  Technical Support - Training & advice, eg ICT, child protection policies  Rural Services & Facilities - Rural transport, shops, social enterprises  Representation & Policy Development - Local, regional & national