Working together to improve things for our residents, communities, places and the environment.

The headline commitments

We will give more power to communities by building participation approaches with people and VCFSE organisations, so that people can shape their own futures, rather than be recipients of decisions made elsewhere.

We will make sure the VCFSE sector is involved in more decision-making groups, boards and programmes, with support for VCFSE representatives.

We will

• Put communities first and focus on their strengths and potential.
• Ensure diverse leadership, with leaders that help challenge unfair systems.
• Ensure people with lived experience are involved in decisions at every level. 
• Reduce barriers that stop small or grassroots groups from taking part.
• Build collective leadership that supports our shared priorities. 
• Support communities to own assets, such as community centres, in their area, or lead development projects in their community.

The headline commitments

Resource the VCFSE sector through increasing the proportion of public sector funding invested in VCFSE groups and organisations, as this is a direct investment in the people and places of Greater Manchester.

Enable the sector by fully implementing the Greater Manchester Fair Funding Protocol, or equivalent agreement such as the NHS GM Commissioning Principles.

We will

• Work together to increase long-term and flexible investment in VCFSE organisations and groups.
• Give communities greater control of funding and involvement in decisions on how public money is spent.
• Build systems that allow VCFSE groups to manage funding and influence design and delivery.
• Identify where skills and capacity are needed and work together to put these in place.  

• Help public sector staff with responsibility for budgets and financial decisions understand the commitments in this Accord, and in turn help VCFSE staff understand public sector pressures.

The headline commitments

Recognise the impact of the sector and the breadth of roles VCFSE organisations play. This includes recognition of the VCFSE sector contribution to economic, social and environmental change; the inherent social value they generate; and their ability to build cohesive, inclusive communities.

Value the unique insight, evidence and community-generated data held by VCFSE organisations by drawing on this intelligence to inform policy, strategy and service design, alongside other forms of insight.

We will

• Recognise that VCFSE organisations naturally create social value and reflect this in funding decisions.
• Support safe, legal and ethical sharing of data and insight between sectors.
• Treat VCFSE and public sector workers as one workforce. We will support leadership development, learning and mentoring across sectors.
• Recognise our shared duty to protect the environment.
• Maximise the potential of the VCFSE sector in taking on more and wider roles. 
• Be open about the legal responsibilities that belong to public bodies.

• Make sure staff across our partnership know about the Accord and how to use it.