Home Community & living Voluntary and Community Sector VCS strategy and partnership Tower Hamlets VCS Strategy 2025-2029: You Said, We Did
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Tower Hamlets VCS Strategy 2025-2029: You Said, We Did

Actions already taken

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We along with the VCS have agreed to a new VCS Compact. It has been approved by Cooperate (VCS & Council Partnership) Cabinet in November 2025. This sets out the:

  • values
  • principles
  • practices that will guide how both parties work together

This will ensure collaboration is:

  • effective
  • transparent
  • focused on improving the lives of borough residents.
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We hold events throughout the year, such as:

  • VCS Awards
  • funding fairs
  • community buildings
  • other service specific events and forums

We are committed to making sure that celebrating the impact of the VCS is a core part of the borough’s ‘We Love Tower Hamlets’ campaign.

 

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The Equalities Hubs and Networks have been strengthened to enable residents with protected characteristics:

  • to influence council decisions and
  • identify the needs of VCS organisations supporting groups with protected characteristics.
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We have worked with the VCS to develop a community engagement toolkit to support engagement and consultation with VCS organisations and the local community. As part of the Council’s Continuous Improvement Plan, on-going review of community engagement, including with the VCS, is undertaken.
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We have drafted a new community engagement recognition policy, which will be published soon. It will recognise local residents and VCS organisations for their input into partnership working and local coproduction processes.
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We have reviewed our park hire application process and has introduced a number of steps to increase the accessibility of the process for community applicants. This includes organising community training for people who want to organise events in its parks and open spaces.
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We have created a set of information sheets on key topics such as:

  • governance
  • best practices
  • policy development
  • and funding

Which are now available on the Voluntary and Community Sector webpages.

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We approved a Grants Framework in November 2024 to ensure greater consistency and effective management of grant programmes across the organisation. This includes the VCS. 
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We held an Access to Funding event on 6 October 2025 to link local VCS organisations to funders. This will be an annual event.
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We will continue to offer the CBRR scheme, providing reduced lease costs for council-owned community buildings. We will work with the VCS to ensure that the scheme is:

  • accessible
  • transparent
  • supports a diverse range of community organisations.

We will review its community buildings policy through engagement with the sector.

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We have begun working with our partners to develop a volunteering plan to promote volunteering in the borough, with the VCS and through partner organisations.
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Actions For VCS Strategy Delivery Plan

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We will work together with VCS and businesses to find and develop new funding opportunities to support the sector across the borough.
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We will refresh our approach to social value to make sure that the benefits secured by the programme meet the needs of smaller VCS organisations
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There will be a review of VCS membership of Tower Hamlets Partnership to ensure membership of thematic partnerships fully reflects the local VCS and communities, including faith communities.
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We will, where appropriate, produce annual reports highlighting the impact VCS organisations have made. Performance reports are published on the Mayor’s Community Grants Programme every 3 months.
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We have established a Capacity Building Plan with the VCS, with a focus on:

  • supporting smaller organisations
  • those led by women
  • and/or Black, Asian & Multi-ethnic communities
  • wider partners to support the sector.

Which will be reviewed annually.

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We will deliver/commission training sessions to address priority areas for the VCS identified through:

  • engagement 
  • annual needs assessment
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Our Housing Community Partnership Service will provide ongoing support in these areas. It will deliver an annual capacity building programme to empower tenants in social housing to actively participate in TRAs.
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We will do a full review of council-owned Community Premises. Including a review of the Community Premises Policy in along with the VCS. Making sure those currently leasing and hiring premises, and those who would like to, are able to take part.
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Together we will design a replacement programme for the Mayor’s Community Grants Programme and Small Grants Programme in partnership with the VCS.
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Actions proposed by the VCS that the council cannot currently deliver

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Our grant funding programmes for the VCS focus on supporting VCS projects to address local needs. This project funding may support core costs that can be used for different parts of a project, to support full cost recovery. However, like other statutory sector funding organisations, we have no plans to directly fund any of the specific core costs of VCS organisations as stand-alone funding.
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Council grant funding focuses on supporting VCS projects to address local needs. Project funding may include quality assurance (QA) accreditation costs that can be used for a project. However, we would not expect to be providing stand-alone funding for VCS organisations to secure QA accreditation. Smal VCS organisations can apply for the Capacity Building theme of the Mayor’s Small Grants Programme to support them to work towards QA accreditation.
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Our multi-year grant programmes for the VCS, such as the Mayor’s Community Grant Programme, involve grant awards that are set when funding for a project is agreed. Unfortunately, there are no extra resources to provide inflationary uplifts for these awards.
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There would not be a enough high level of vacancies within the VCS in Tower Hamlets at any given time to hold a recruitment fair for this sector. It would be more productive for us to work with VCS organisations to enable them to participate in general recruitment fairs we organises.
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We will not be allowed to use our apprenticeship levy for VCS organisations. However, this will be continued to be explored if future changes are made.
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