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The SW voluntary sector
As in all regions and the country as a whole the South West’s voluntary and community sector is diverse and extensive - engaged in virtually every aspect of the cultural, social, economic and political life of the region.There is a commonly voiced view that the voluntary and community sector in the South West is particularly compliant. People who move from other regions to the South West are often struck by the sector’s willingness to continue to deliver services in spite of cuts in funding. The positive thing is that it reflects the sector’s commitment to its mission - to meeting the needs of its users and communities.
Furthermore, the character and type of voluntary and community infrastructure framework varies widely across the region. For example, Devon has a council for voluntary service in all but one of its districts, as well as a rural community council and community of interest networks and forums. Cornwall has a developing voluntary sector forum, Shire Dorset, Wiltshire and parts of Somerset have limited infrastructure to date and insufficient local authority funding to resource infrastructure development. The large conurbations of Bristol and Plymouth support a variety of infrastructure agencies and networks, many of which would class themselves as ‘social economy’ organisations, rather than voluntary organisations.
South West Forum is pleased to have contributed significant data to South West Observatory's 'State of the South West' report.
To download our submission in its entirety, please click here
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