Download Cabinet Office Sustainability Fund Warren Escadale Policy

Cabinet Office
Sustainability Fund
Briefing Paper #91
The purpose of this briefing is to:
 provide an introduction to the Cabinet Office Sustainability Fund consultation
 provide a number of questions to consider in responding to the consultation
Warren Escadale
Policy & Research Manager
Voluntary Sector North West
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 0161 276 9300
May 2014
The Cabinet Office has launched a ‘Consultation on a new fund to support the sustainability of VCSE
organisations’. It is open for consultation until 24th July 2014. The new fund is expected to be £40m
and the purpose is to make medium sized organisations, that benefit ‘vulnerable and disadvantaged
groups’, more sustainable.
Introduction
This investment in the sector and in ‘vulnerable and disadvantaged groups’ is more than welcome but
the current draft proposal will have great difficulty incorporating intelligent thinking about local market
development. The consultation clearly recognises this.
VSNW will be developing a response to the consultation and this briefing is in part an early statement
about the direction of our thinking. We believe that the Cabinet Office should remain true to the goals
of this fund but we would like to see greater localism incorporated into the delivery of the programme.
We think that there is a growing body of intelligent local practice and expertise – in supporting groups
to adjust to new market conditions – that should inform the consultation.
We would like this expertise to inform our response and so, we would like your help finding out what is
working locally.
Draft Proposals
The fund is expected to be around £40m, starting in 2015 with one-off funding of approximately
£30,000 to £50,000. The proposed aim is to put medium-sized (c. £50k to £10m income) organisations,
that work with ‘vulnerable and disadvantaged groups’, on “the journey to sustainability” (see figure
below). The proposal is to use criteria based on this (or a similar) journey in order to assess need,
proposals and long-term impact.
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There are similarities to the Transition Fund (adjusting to the new environment) along with elements of
the Assist programme (brokering in expert support).
The fund has the potential to fund over 1,000 medium sized organisations, which raises significant
questions about getting the management of this programme right and balancing need and informed
commissioning without being burdensome and overly prescriptive. However, it is difficult to see how
delivery of a one-size fits all approach can align itself with local need or intelligent area-based thinking.
The consultation recognises this - half the questions are about delivery - and asks for feedback on
delivery proposals and the use of intermediaries.
There are tensions within the consultation proposals that link to better understanding of the kind of
markets where target organisations are working. In terms of the fund’s impact and understanding
organisation’s (market) potential, there are (for us) two leading sets of questions about the kind of
organisation and geography involved:

What size organisations are we thinking about, i.e. that do not have the ability to access £30k
reserves for intelligent investment thinking and development?

For smaller medium-sized organisations (operating in a limited geography), how can we use
intelligence about local markets to inform their development and the fund’s delivery?
The investment in the sector and in ‘vulnerable and disadvantaged groups’ is more than welcome but
the current draft proposal will have great difficulty incorporating intelligent understanding about
relevant, often local markets. This is clearly understood in the world of more formal ‘Business Support’
where our small to medium sized enterprise (SME) strategies (through LEPs and local authorities) make
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the most of local market knowledge: local knowledge in programme development and delivery play a
clear, unquestionable role. We think this is an essential part of how this fund could be most effectively
delivered.
VSNW’s Nine Questions
In order to inform the VSNW response, we are asking the following questions. We welcome responses
from the public sector as well as from voluntary, community and social enterprise groups and
organisations. Please note that the questions below are different to those in the formal consultation.
Please respond to any number of the questions or email any examples of practice to
[email protected].
1. What activity is going on locally to support the sector to adapt to the new environment?
2. How are commissioners developing local markets?
3. How are communities being involved in delivering change?
4. How is local market failure being sensitively addressed?
5. Is grant funding being used to address market failure?
6. How is the sector being involved in connecting communities to economic growth?
7. How are areas collectively agreeing priorities? How is local activity being aligned to these
agreed strategic priorities?
8. Should the fund be open to local match-funding proposals?
9. If so, what is the appropriate geography for medium-sized organisations?
If you would prefer to discuss local activity please call 07753 147664.
Consultation Deadline
The full consultation document is here: Sustainable Fund Consultation. The consultation deadline
closes on 24th July. Please send your submissions for the VSNW response by 17th July. Direct
submissions can be sent to [email protected].
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VSNW (Voluntary Sector North West) is the regional voluntary sector network for the North West. The
purpose of VSNW is to ensure that the voluntary and community sector (VCS), in all its diversity, takes
its full part in shaping the future of the North West.
VSNW works with 150 members which
 work across the region directly supporting and delivering services for individuals, or
 are VCS infrastructure organisations (LIOs) that work with local voluntary and community groups.
VSNW members provide community services, regenerate neighbourhoods, support individuals,
promote volunteering and tackle discrimination. The 40 generalist LIOs in membership of VSNW have a
membership of 6,780 VCS groups and are in contact with 19,800 local voluntary and community sector
groups in the North West – just under two-thirds (63%) of the region’s VCS groups.
Voluntary Sector North West (VSNW)
St Thomas Centre
Ardwick Green North
Manchester
M12 6FZ
Tel: 0161 276 9300
Fax: 0161 276 9301
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.vsnw.org.uk
Registered charity no. 1081654
Company limited by guarantee
Registered in England no. 3988903
Registered office as above
Briefing Paper #91
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