We are extremely keen to ensure that the new regional
strategy reflects the needs and work of the voluntary and community sector in
the North West.
Please forward this message to your members and other
local voluntary and community sector groups.
A printable promotional flyer is attached: please
circulate this or promote on your notice-boards, newsletters and
websites.
Please note there are 50 bursaries available for
representatives from VCS groups with an income below £5,000.
Dear Colleagues
The new Regional Strategy will start
in just over 12 months time.
The consultation on the Principles and
Issues behind the strategy is underway...
·
How will the regional strategy support
communities?
·
The strategy will include economic,
planning, housing, skills and transport issues: but how will these reflect
voluntary and community sector (VCS) issues, concerns and
activities?
·
Will the Strategy, which will be the
guiding framework for 20 years, tackle the challenges you work with?
·
Will the Strategy’s ambitions be your
ambitions; will its vision for the next 20 years be a fair reflection of your
vision of where you live and work?
Sub-regional
consultation events
There are a number of
events taking place in the next few weeks that will inform the voluntary and
community sector (VCS) response, including a half-day event in each sub-region
to inform the voluntary and community sector response:
24th
March: Merseyside
Venue: Liverpool,
L8
To book: Cordula
Krause, Merseyside Network for Europe
Email: cordula.kraus@merseynetwork.com
Tel: 0151 237
3972
25th
March: Greater
Manchester:
Venue: St Thomas
Centre, Ardwick Green North, Manchester M12 6FZ
To book:
Susan
Barrett, GMCVO
Tel: 0161
277 1001
Email:
sue.barrett@gmcvo.org.uk
Booking
form and details:
http://www.gmcvo.org.uk/?q=node/1224
30th
March: Lancashire
Venue: Marriott
Hotel, Preston
Contact: Marion
Bolton
Email: marionb@communityfutures.org.uk
Tel:
01772 717461 or 01772 718710
Tuesday,
31st March: Cumbria
9.00am
– 12.30pm (followed by lunch)
Venue:
Melmerby New Village Hall, Penrith CA10 1HD
To
book: Jackie Boustead
Tel:
01228 512513
Email:
jackiebo@cumbriacvs.org.uk
1st April:
Cheshire
9.30 – 1pm (including
lunch, registration
from
9.00am)
Venue:
Middlewich Community Church
To book: Chris
Davenport
Tel: 01244 323602
Email: chris.davenport@cheshireaction.org.uk
Bursary
For representatives of
VCS groups, with an annual income below £5,000, attending the above five
sub-regional events, travel bursaries of up to £10 per attendee can be claimed
from VSNW. A claim form will be
available at the events. Please note that there is a maximum total bursary pot
of £500.
Tel: 0161 276
9300
Email: info@vsnw.org.uk
Other
VCS consultation events
26th
March: 1NW regional BME voluntary sector event
Further
details and a booking form are available from Paul Harris, Project Director for
One North West
Email: paul@nwnetwork.org.uk
Tel: 0161 236
6493
2nd April:
Seminar to
co-ordinate the Environmental NGO response
For more details please
contact: Peter Wilson, Co-ordinator of North west Environment
Link
Email: pwilson@lancswt.org.uk
For information about NWEL: http://www.vsnw.org.uk/activities/networks/nwel
The relevance of the
regional strategy
The new regional
strategy will integrate the region’s economic, spatial and housing strategies.
It will also link local priorities and local potential to a regional framework.
“The regional
strategy.... will ensure that all decisions and investment, locally, regionally
and by central Government are helping the region move towards [the strategy’s]
goals.”
North West Regional
Strategy: Principles &
Issues Paper, p.5
It’s becoming
increasing clear that the new strategy will have far greater relevance for the
voluntary and community sector. The Principles and Issues Paper
picks up on a number of areas relevant to many VCS groups, including: health and
health inequalities, sustainable rural communities, climate change and other
environmental concerns, tackling worklessness, skills, social enterprise,
disability, housing, and even, briefly, local public sector procurement practice
(specific VCS mention).
Most significantly,
the Principles & Issues Paper has a particular focus on communities.
One of the proposed goals of the 20 year strategy is:
·
Communities and places in which people feel safe
and proud, have a sense of belonging and get on well together with people from
different backgrounds.
While key challenges
for the region include:
·
Areas of entrenched (and often intergenerational)
deprivation and inequality and poor levels of social cohesion.
·
External perceptions of the region and some
evidence of low expectations or aspirations within some of our
communities.
Clearly, at the heart
of the regional strategy will be an ‘economic and social regeneration agenda’.
However, the Principles & Issues consultation is an opportunity firstly to
define that agenda so that it is relevant to our vision and work for the North
West and, secondly, to ensure the best possible social, economic and
environmental goals for the communities of the North West.
Key documents and
links
The Principles &
Issues paper (15 pages) is available here:
http://www.nwregionalstrategy.com/files/PandIFinal3Feb.pdf
Regional strategy
evidence base and SQW consultants think-piece:
http://www.nwregionalstrategy.com/evidence
Consultation portal
(register and respond online):
http://consult.nwregionalstrategy.com/portal
Sign up for the
regional strategy (RS2010) e-newsletter:
http://www.nwregionalstrategy.com/
Best
wishes
Warren
-----------
Warren
Escadale
Policy & Communications Officer, Voluntary Sector North
West (VSNW)
Direct: 0161 276 9307 | General: 0161 276 9300 | Email:
warren.escadale@vsnw.org.uk | Web: www.vsnw.org.uk
St Thomas Centre, Ardwick Green North, Manchester M12
6FZ
Latest research findings from VSNW - Economic impact of the
voluntary and community sector (VCS) in the North West: www.vsnw.org.uk/economic
VSNW
Bulletin | For the Voluntary and Community Sector in
the North West: http://www.vsnw.org.uk/publications/bulletin
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