General Infrastructure Policy Work
RAISE monitors the development and publication of government policy which may have an impact on the VCS and the people the sector serves. Therefore RAISE aims to inform and engage members in any relevant policy consultations. In addition to encouraging members to respond to consultations, RAISE submits a response on behalf of its members too.
Regional Economic Strategy
The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) has recently published the Regional Economic Strategy for South East England 2006-2016 (RES). The RES sets out the following vision: “By 2016 the South East will be a world class region achieving sustainable prosperity”. This third RES responds to a new global context; sets targets to ensure that success is more widely accessible; and identifies the importance of quality of life as a competitive advantage. The RES sits within the overall context of the Integrated Regional Framework for sustainable development in the South East, and alongside the draft South East Plan as the region’s spatial strategy. It comprises of three interlinked objectives:
- Global Competitiveness: achieving it
- Smart Growth: spreading the benefits of competitiveness
- Sustainable Prosperity: ensuring that competitiveness is consistent with the principles of sustainable development.
In order to achieve the objectives of the RES, a draft Implementation Plan is currently being prepared and SEEDA is working with regional partners on its development. RAISE is one of these partners as the Voluntary/Community Sector and wider third sector is seen as a key part of achieving sustainable prosperity. The draft implementation plan will go out for consultation in April for 12 weeks and should be finalised by the end of July. RAISE is keen to ensure that the voluntary/community organisations have the opportunity to take part in the consultation if they wish to do so.
For more information on the RES, please visit the SEEDA website: www.seeda.co.uk
Third Sector Review
In his Budget speech in February 2006, Gordon Brown announced that there would be a review into the future role of the Third Sector in social and economic regeneration in England to inform the Comprehensive Spending Review in summer 2007. The review was heralded as the largest consultation ever undertaken with the voluntary/community sector.
RAISE's response to the Third Sector Review can be found here. The interim report on the findings of the Review was published by Government in November 2006 and the full report is expected in March.
Real Help For Communities Action Plan
The Government has announced details of a Third Sector action plan, offering £42.5 million support for the Third Sector. Real Help for Communities is designed to lessen the economic weight of concern currently resting on Voluntary/Community Organisations
The plan can be broken down into 5 key elements:
1. Volunteer brokerage Scheme for the unemployed: £10 million to find volunteering opportunities for approximately 40,000 people who have been unemployed for at least six months.
2. Community Resilience Fund: £15.5million invested in small organisations in the most deprived areas. A grants scheme will be targeted at organisations addressing recession-related needs such as debt and family breakdown.
3. Modernisation Fund: £16.5 million fund for specialist advice to organisations that want to merge or collaborate.
4. School for social entrepreneurs will get £0.5million to help increase the number of social entrepreneurs it trains to set up sustainable community enterprises in the next.
Additional components include a national campaign to raise awareness of the Government's commitment to pay invoices within 10 days along with an independent review of incentives for investment in social enterprise.
The action plan takes vital steps towards strengthening the Third Sector and addresses the increase in demand due to economic pressure. The full report can be found here.
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