Decision details

Proposed decision-

Following consultation, for the Cabinet to agree the adoption of KCC’s new Civil Society Strategy and infrastructure support offer, to be aligned to the strategy framework.

Further information-

The Civil Society strategy will replace KCC’s existing VCS policy and set out the future relationship with civil society and the ‘social sector’, voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE), as a core part of that.

The strategy was previously consulted on between February and April 2020, however due to Covid the development of the strategy was paused. We are now revising the draft to reflect the events of the last year and ensure that it will still meet the challenges going forward.

The strategy will set out the objectives and intentions for KCC’s future offer of infrastructure support to the VCSE. The funding agreed for this is £2.1m over the 3 years of the strategy; and will be allocated against the priorities and framework set out in the strategy.

The strategy will also revise the grant framework for the council, which was developed in 2015 and has been updated based on feedback from the past 6 years of operation. This is intended to create consistency and clarity in the way we award grants to the VCSE across the Council.

The strategy will replace the Kent Partners Compact, which was last revised in 2012 and will set out the principles of how we will engage and work with the VCSE in the future.

This will be a supporting strategy to the Interim Strategic Plan and longer term, to the new Strategic Statement for the Council.

As Cabinet we agree to adopt the Civil Society Strategy and commit to funding an infrastructure offer against the strategy framework over the life of the strategy 2021-2024. The relevant Cabinet Member(s) will take the decision on expenditure in line with delegations.