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Voluntary Sector North West
St. Thomas Centre
Manchester
M12 6FZ
Tel: 0161 276 9300
Fax: 0161 276 9301
Email: info@vsnw.org.uk
Act now to support government presence in the regions
5 August 2010
VSNW has launched a petition calling on the government to halt its decision to close regional Government Offices and carry out a full consultation with stakeholders in order to identify which elements of Government Offices' work are vital to the decentralisation of power from Westminster.
Since the election of the coalition government, much has been made about the shutting down of regional structures, including announcements on regional development agencies, strategic health authorities and regional leaders’ boards.
In his statement of 22 July 2010, Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, announced his intention to abolish regional Government Offices, stating:
"I do not believe the arbitrary government regions to be a tier of administration that is efficient, effective or popular.
"Let me be clear: The Government Offices ... have become agents of Whitehall to intervene and interfere in localities, and are a fundamental part of the 'command and control' apparatus of England's over-centralised state."
We dispute this analysis. The role of Government Offices is somewhat different to many of the other regional structures; over the years the Government Offices have supported the third sector’s engagement in Local Strategic Partnerships, with local government, and with decision-makers in Parliament.
In the North West our Government Office has actively improved its understanding of the sector by supporting secondments into its organisation, supported third sector engagement and outcomes in Local Area Agreements, and championed community empowerment. Ultimately, we believe the sector’s ability to engage in local structures and influence national government would be weaker without it.
We are therefore calling on third sector organisations across the region to sign our petition asking the government to review its current course of action.
Take action NOW:
► Sign the petition at http://bit.ly/savegos. Please share this information as widely as possible and ask all the groups you work with to add their names. You can download a copy of the petition suitable for use at events here.
► Write to your local MP to explain why the regional Government Offices are a vital link between Westminster and communities, share your stories of how Government Office North West has improved your local engagement with decision-makers, and ask them to support this growing movement by representing your views to the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Featured Event
Open Public Services - Passage of a bill workshop
This VSNW/Parliamentary Outreach Service event will explore the stages that the bill would go through, their relative importance and ways to engage and influence
Featured News
Two days left to enter our case study competition - prizes up for grabs!
We are inviting local groups and local or regional infrastructure organisations from across the North West to submit ideas for Listen Value Invest 2012 case studies about their work and how they are adjusting to the new environment
Transforming Local Infrastructure Fund results announced
The beneficiaries of the £30 million fund to help transform and modernise local charity support services have been announced by Nick Hurd, Minister for Civil Society.
Relaunch of Voluntary Sector Cuts Website
The Voluntary Sector Cuts website has now been relaunched with additional functionality to enable VCS organisations to records cuts to funding and their effects
Events & Trainings
VSNW’s list of events & training opportunities for VCS groups in the North West
