Voluntary & Community Sector Support
HBC Voluntary & Community Sector
(VCS) Funding Strategy
This
strategy was
approved in August 2007 and sets out how the Council
should provide financial support to this vital sector in the
future.
The earlier
review report and a
spreadsheet setting out the full
list of current Council grants to the VCS can also be viewed.
New Community Chest grant fund*
As part of the strategy the Council set
up a new "Community Chest" in September 2007 to provide
small grants to voluntary and community organisations. Grants
range from £500 to £5000 and applications are welcome
from voluntary organisations, charities and community groups
based in and serving the community of the Harrogate
District.
*UPDATE 4
MARCH 2008
At the first Community Chest
Grants Panel meeting in December 2007
the full amount of available
funding (£37,611) was distributed. We received
32 applications for £89,000 of funds and 16 bids were
successful. However we are pleased to say that the Council has
recently agreed to contribute a further £30,000 to
the Community Chest, to be available for grants
from April 2008 onwards.
The guidance notes and applications forms can be downloaded
(as Microsoft Word files) from here - please ensure you download
both:
Closing date for the next round of
applications: Friday 13 June 2008
Harrogate Borough Council and the voluntary and community
sector: current work
In April 2006 the Council agreed a three
year Improvement Plan for its work with and support for the
voluntary and community sector. Click here to view the Plan
as a pdf file.
The work on the Plan is being overseen by the
Voluntary and Community Sector
Forum, set up in the late 90's to improve joint working
between the Council and its partners in the voluntary and community
sector.

The Compact is a government initiative to improve working
relationships between the public and voluntary and community
sectors (VCS). In November 2006 the Council agreed to sign up to
the North Yorkshire
Compact. This followed a recommendation from a
small Project Team set up to review the existing Harrogate
Compact which had been agreed in 2001. To see the full
review report click here. The Harrogate
District Strategic Partnership has also signed up to the North
Yorkshire Compact.
Slide presentation - click here for a short
presentation on the voluntary & community sector and the
Compact in the Harrogate District
The North Yorkshire Compact is "owned" by the North Yorkshire Strategic
Partnership and managed by the North Yorkshire Compact Steering
Group
For more information on the national Compact visit www.thecompact.org.uk/
In December 2007 the Council and the 2 CVS's in our
area (Harrogate and Ripon) received a national Compact commendation
award in the area of
Better Funding
Relationships, the only award in this category and also the
only award in Yorkshire and the NE of England.
For more
information on all the commendations visit www.thecompact.org.uk/annualmeeting/
Interested in volunteering?
Who to contact
The Corporate Improvement Officer (Voluntary and
Community Sector) is responsible for providing advice,
guidance and support to the voluntary and community sector on
working in partnership with the Council.
Councillor Ian Galloway chairs the Voluntary and
Community Sector Forum and Cabinet Member Councillor Pat
Jones is the lead Cabinet Member for work with the voluntary
and community sector, and also a member of the Forum.
Voluntary and community sector
links
Councils for Voluntary Service (CVS)
There are 2 CVS's in the District. They provide support,
advice and information to local voluntary organisations and
community groups, and can provide contact details for these groups.
Both CVS's incorporate Volunteer Centres which provide information
on a wide range of volunteering
opportunities.
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Ripon CVS
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Harrogate & Area CVS
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Community House
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Community House
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Sharow View, Allhallowgate
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46 50 East Parade
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Ripon
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Harrogate
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HG4 1LE
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HG1 5RR
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01765 603631
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01423 504074
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Citizen's Advice Bureaux (CAB's)
There are 2 CAB's, in Ripon and Harrogate. The
Citizens Advice service helps people resolve their legal, money and
other problems by providing free, independent and confidential
advice, and by influencing policymakers. Every Citizens Advice
Bureau is a registered charity reliant on trained volunteers and
funds to provide these vital services for local communities.
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Harrogate CAB
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Ripon CAB
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Victoria Park House
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5 Duck Hill
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18 Victoria Avenue
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Ripon
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Harrogate
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HG4 1BL
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HG1 5QY
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01765 603297
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01423 503576
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Harrogate District Community Transport
(HDCT)
Operating as the Little Red Bus, this organisation is an
independent voluntary organisation providing accessible transport
to anyone in Harrogate district.
Little Red Bus, Harrogate District Community
Transport,
Unit 4, Saltergate Business Park
Burley Bank Rd
Killinghall
HARROGATE
HG3 2BX
01423
526655.
The Carers' Resource (Harrogate and Craven)
A carer is someone who, without payment, provides help and
support to a friend, neighbour or relative who could not manage
otherwise because of frailty, illness or disability and Carers'
Resource provides support, advice and information to local
carers.
11 North Park Rd
Harrogate
HG1 5PD
01423 500555
North Yorkshire Forum for Voluntary
Organisations
The voluntary & community sector's sub-regional
infrastructure support organisation. Works to ensure the sector is
represented, provides information, training and support for people
running voluntary and community organisations.
Crayke House, Easingwold Business Park
Birch Way, Easingwold, York
YO61 3FB
01347 825710
Yorkshire Rural Community Council
Provides advice, support and training to rural
communities across Yorkshire on community buildings, parish plans,
rural housing, combatting rural stress and so on
William House
Shipton Rd
Skelton
YORK
YO30 1XF
01904 645271