Response to our open letter to GM commissioners from Stockport Council
The GM VCFSE Leadership Group shared an open letter to Greater Manchester commissioners which asked that they work with us (the GM VCFSE sector) to tackle systemic issues, resulting in significant instability for our sector.
In response to the campaign, Stockport Council commented:
’Sector 3 is already working closely with Stockport Council and other partners through the VCFSE Alliance (launched in 2024) to ensure we have a resilient and thriving sector.
Our One Stockport, One Future vision outlines the important and brilliant role that our VCFSE sector has across Stockport's communities.
Some of the areas we have been working on include maximising social value opportunities, working with organisations in receipt of larger grants to repurpose delivery expectations, rather than increase costs to stay in line with our financial position, and also trying to maximise investment opportunities into the sector.
Ongoing investment into Sector 3 and community networks is also an important part of our work to enable the continued development of the sector and maximise income opportunities through grants and income generation.’
How to use this resource
If you’re in the GM VCFSE sector, read the responses to the open letter and cite them in your conversations with commissioners as needed.
The GM VCFSE Leadership Group Commissioning and Investment group meeting (read the full blog on this meeting here) set out some suggested actions that VCFSE organisations might want to consider:
- Contact all of your commissioners about the impact of the increase to National Insurance contributions, Agenda for Change, and NJC pay scale increases, asking for either an uplift to reflect those and general inflation, or a conversation about realistic expectations of the contract for next year.
- Asking if there are specific workforce–related uplifts that can be applied or passed on.
- Seek advice from your local infrastructure organisation if you’re not sure what you can or should ask for.
Sector 3, Stockport's VCFSE infrastructure organisation, have shared some National Insurance Rise Mitigation Strategies in a webinar with IN Accountancy - watch it here.
