Buckinghamshire Council’s unique approach to working with the voluntary sector to help with the pandemic

Democracy and Local Affairs, Health and Social Care

Buckinghamshire Council has been unique in its approach to the funding of grants to help with the Covid-19 pandemic, a cross-party Communities and Localism Select Committee Inquiry Group has found.

Using the support of local Members to encourage community organisations to bid for funding, the Council was congratulated on its ‘bottom up approach’ which ensured that funding was used where it was needed the most for local residents.

The Council also worked in partnership with a number of organisations including the Strategic Funding Group (Heart of Bucks, Rothschild Foundation, Clare Foundation, LEAP and the National Lottery) who have helped bring in further funding for Buckinghamshire. This unique partnership approach has resulted in approximately £3m of additional funding being spent in Buckinghamshire.

The Inquiry Group heard from community groups on the use of the funding and the inspirational projects being undertaken in Buckinghamshire. These include:

  • Providing rest and relaxation for NHS frontline staff
  • Developing market gardens from scratch to grow food to give to families
  • Providing a lifeline to coronavirus help pop-up groups, food banks and emergency support groups
  • Helping people who were previously homeless find accommodation at an affordable rent to create space in hostels for rough sleepers

The Inquiry Group identified seven recommendations, which included ongoing support for funding, continuing the legacy of volunteering and responding to unmet needs. A recent Government report has referred to developing a ‘volunteer army’ for future emergencies and the Inquiry Group supported this idea. They also noted the important value that community volunteers provide – whether their contributions are large or small.

Harnessing the success of the collaboration seen throughout the pandemic, the Council and a new VCSE Recovery Board also went on to co-design an innovative 3-year strategic framework, which outlines how the council can work best with the Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise Sector (VCSE) in the future.

The framework received unanimous support with Cabinet highlighting how critical partnership with the VCSE sector was. This too was a unique approach, the relationships developed in the pandemic as well as the new community boards would continue innovative support to Buckinghamshire’s communities.

Cllr Paul Irwin (Conservatives), Leader of the Select Committee Inquiry Group, said:

“Buckinghamshire Council has been unique in relation to the provision of Covid-19 grants. Not only has their approach allowed the grants to be rolled out quickly and with the minimum of red tape, but they have also ensured that funding was used where it was needed the most for residents.

“In addition, and now more than ever, local communities need residents to help support others in the provision of food, mental health assistance and reducing loneliness. And having seen the great volunteer work that has taken place during the pandemic, the Inquiry Group plan to thank those people who helped by having a one-minute clap during the Council’s April meeting.”

Cllr Peter Cooper (Liberal Democrats), Opposition Member of the Select Committee Inquiry Group, commented:

“We cannot underestimate the value of the voluntary sector, the work carried out locally has been truly inspirational and demonstrates why good cooperation and support from the Council is essential to the delivery of effective local services.”

The full report by the Communities and Localism Select Committee Inquiry into the effectiveness of Covid-19 grants can be found here: http://bit.ly/ScrutinyInquiry

The strategic framework can be viewed by going to: http://bit.ly/VCSEstrategy