Agenda item

The Committee received a report of the Chief Grants Officer on the outcome of the research commissioned by the Trust into the future of infrastructure support for London’s voluntary section, and noted the proposed next steps. The report recognised that civil society support provision in London was currently uneven, and proposed a ‘hub and spoke’ model with a London Hub providing support at the pan-London level. Members noted that the structure of the London Hub could be a formally constituted organisation or a virtual network of different organisations delivering different functions, with the ‘spokes’ connecting the central hub and local communities varying according to local conditions.

Members noted that LVSC and GLV will each convene network meetings of their constituents (local councils for voluntary service and volunteer centres respectively); Heart of the City will bring together businesses and business brokerage services; and London Funders will convene a meeting of independent funders, in order to discuss the report’s findings and agree how to move forward, and a meeting will also be sought with the new Mayor of London to discuss the GLA’s engagement with the review and its recommendations. Members noted that the transition from the current position to the new model would not be easy and would be a gradual process.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.