Developing Greater Manchester’s VCFSE Ecosystem (2023-24)

The Accord aims to build a strong VCSE (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise) ecosystem by strengthening infrastructure, improving collaboration, and ensuring communities can influence decision-making across Greater Manchester.

The report focuses on two main priorities: addressing shared challenges facing VCSE organisations and ensuring that local intelligence and experience shape Greater Manchester strategies and policies. LIOs worked together through strategic and operational collaboration networks, addressing issues such as the cost of living crisis, workforce development, social economy initiatives, health inequalities, violence reduction, social value, and the Fair Funding Protocol. Practical outcomes included successful funding bids, shared learning programmes, pan-GM engagement work, and the development of best practice around equality, diversity and inclusion, communications, and environmental response.

A significant theme of the report is the leadership role played by LIOs. Representatives contributed to numerous Greater Manchester governance structures, including reform, health, social enterprise, violence reduction, anti-poverty, and Live Well programmes. Their involvement helped ensure that VCSE perspectives influenced strategic decisions, commissioning approaches, and policy development. The report highlights examples where LIO engagement led to increased investment in community-led approaches, strengthened social enterprise activity, and greater recognition of the sector’s contribution to public service reform.

The report also demonstrates how LIOs gathered and shared local intelligence to inform Greater Manchester-wide discussions. This included evidence on poverty, cost of living pressures, social value, sector sustainability, and contract challenges. Joint work helped raise awareness of funding risks facing the sector and contributed to discussions about future commissioning and support.

Overall, the report shows that local infrastructure organisations act as a crucial bridge between communities, the VCSE sector, and public bodies. Through leadership, collaboration, advocacy, and evidence gathering, they have strengthened the VCSE ecosystem and increased the influence of community voices on Greater Manchester policy and decision-making.