Focus Article Summer 2010
Welcome to the Summer Edition of this column, well what a difference a few months make!
A new Coalition Government; spending cuts already begun, with more planned for the next few years as well as the opportunities contained in the Big Society.
It is clear that the next few years will be challenging for organisations who receive funding from our statutory sector partners, as budgets are likely to be cut by a minimum of 25%. It will be more important than ever for community and voluntary sector organisations to work constructively and creatively with our funders to really demonstrate the added value we bring.
If you have not done so already I urge you to contact the relevant head of service at Portsmouth City Council and arrange a meeting. If you are experiencing problems with this or have concerns about a proposed reduction in funding then please contact me at
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or telephone 023 9282 7110 and we will do our best to help and support you.
One way of protecting local services will be to work together in local consortia in response to tenders. A workshop to explore how we could develop consortia in Portsmouth is being held in Portsmouth on the morning of 24 September 2010 at The Salvation Army Haven and I urge you to attend.
The development of consortia is just one of the ideas emerging from a new voluntary and community sector leadership group. Read more about this in this edition of Focus (soon to be uploaded)
Merlin, our sector database will also be a vital tool for us during the coming months, as we demonstrate the collective economic and social impact of the sector to funders. So if you have yet to sign up please do so today by contacting:
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There will also be opportunities for our sector as The Big Society agenda begins to happen with its emphasis on giving communities more control, increasing the scope for volunteering and developing social enterprise.
We will keep you posted on these developments on this website and at our 2010 BIG EVENT to be held on 22 September at Buckland Community Centre, so please attend.
Finally we are entering a critical period for our sector in the city so let’s all pull together over the coming months to demonstrate the value of a thriving voluntary and community sector in the city.
