Report profiling five case studies from across the North West which explore how and why particular voluntary sector organisations have become key to tackling the health needs in their areas.

To read more about the implications and learning inspired by this report, go to the following page on this website: The Commissioning Project  

Produced as part of the Equality, Big Society and Localism Research Project commissioned by the NorthWest Infrastructure Partnership (NWIP), this think piece includes an exploration of the implications of The Localism Bill, Big Society, The Local Growth White Paper, and the latest Welfare and Health reform proposals.

Getting the Localism Bill Right (May 2011), VSNW’s guide to the Localism Bill, highlights six key areas of the Bill and proposes six principles that could be used to shape and define “Localism”:

► Principle 1: "That Localism is open and inclusive for all local people"
► Principle 2: "Communities should have a say in making decisions that affect them"
► Principle 3: "Local services should be shaped by and accountable to local communities"
► Principle 4: "That Localism promotes a caring and broad sense of community"
► Principle 5: "That the assets of the state are owned on behalf of our communities"
► Principle 6: "That Localism builds local strength without becoming solely inward-looking"