Council urges Third Sector Organisations to have their say

THIRD SECTOR ORGANISATIONS URGED TO HAVE THEIR SAY

Argyll and Bute Council and the Community Planning Partnership are urging Third Sector organisations to have their say about the services and support they receive from a range of bodies.  The dialogue – ‘Connecting and Communicating’ - aims to Build Confidence, Capacity and Competence in the Third Sector and is open to voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations, as well as individuals who have experience of working in the sector. Councillor Dick Walsh, Leader of Argyll and Bute Council and Third Sector Champion says: “We are working together, in partnership, to improve access to information and to break down some of the barriers that voluntary organisations and community groups are faced with when trying to access support. “We aim to highlight good practice to lead the way forward to an improved way of operating, which we hope will go a long way to strengthening the voluntary and community sector.” CouncillorWalsh is also the Chair of the Demonstration Project, Harnessing the Potential of the Third Sector, which is focusing on four themes:  •Funding • Assets • Procurement • Skills and Training for Social Enterprise  A series of events will take place between May and July to ensure that the proposed improvement measures are going to be of benefit to the sector.  Representatives of the sector will have the opportunity to share their views on changes to the Community Planning Partnership structure and the Community Engagement Strategy, as well as the Demonstration project and improved ways of accessing information and training.  The feedback will enable those from the Third Sector to influence the way the Council and its partners deliver support services at a local and an Argyll-wide level.  The dialogue between the Council, the CPP and the Third Sector will incorporate a range of workshop sessions and online information, and consultation materials will be accessible throughout the period.  If you would like more information on ‘Connecting and Communicating’, or for a diary of events, visit www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/thirdsector or call 01546 604437. The consultation is being carried out by Argyll and Bute Council and hosted on the websites of Argyll and Bute Council, Argyll and Bute Social Enterprise Network and Argyll CVS A year ago the Community Planning Partnership, together with partners from the Big Lottery Fund, launched a Demonstration Project aimed at identifying ways to strengthen work with the Third Sector. The following themes were seen to be the key areas for development: 1) Funding – ensuring that funding streams are appropriate and considering issues such as the impact of local community action plans, the removal of ring-fencing, etc 2) Assets - improving community sustainability through the Third Sector’s ability to acquire assets; 3) Procurement – removing barriers and identifying training to enable Third Sector bodies to successfully bid for contracts; and 4) Social Enterprises – putting procedures in place to ensure existing and new social enterprises have access to training and information to allow them to develop and grow.