Voluntary and community sector partnership agreement 2026-29
The Partnership Agreement has been jointly developed by the Council and Reading Voluntary Action (RVA) who are the main VCS infrastructure support organisation within the borough, the services they provide includes the delivery of activities specifically commissioned by the Council.
RVA and the Council have engaged and consulted a broad range of local Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations in the development of this agreement to ensure it reflects sector priorities and perspectives.
This document sets out the shared expectations, values and ways of working that will guide partnership collaboration between the Council and the wider VCS in Reading.
Statement of Intent
We recognise that achieving better outcomes for Residents will be more successful by working effectively in partnership. This Agreement is our commitment to this partnership.
This Partnership Agreement sets out the basis for strategic engagement, partnership working and collaboration between the Council and Reading’s voluntary and community sector to deliver our shared ambition of improving the quality of life for the residents and communities of Reading.
This Agreement aligns with the principles of the national Civil Society Covenant (October 2025), providing a specific framework for partnership working.
Purpose of the Partnership Agreement
The Partnership Agreement fosters an environment in which the VCS is respected, supported and listened to by the Council when working in partnership and independently when speaking on behalf of their beneficiaries.
In turn, the Partnership Agreement recognises the ongoing demand pressures, competing priorities and financial constraints that the Council operates within, and its need to prioritise its resources on meeting its statutory requirements and its vision, priorities and objectives as set out within the Council Plan.
The Partnership Agreement is a reciprocal arrangement recognising that the VCS and the Council have both separate and shared roles in serving the public.
This Agreement aligns with the aims and values of the Civil Society Covenant to deliver:
- a fair, just and equitable society with improvements to people’s lives.
- a strong, sustainable and independent VCS which collaborates with the local authority for the benefit of Reading residents.
- resilient, connected and empowered communities with inclusive opportunities for participation which strengthen our social fabric.
- decision-making informed by VCS insight, expertise and constructive challenge.
- innovative long-term problem solving to benefit local people.
- a strong democracy where all people can participate and where all voices are heard.
The values and behaviours required to achieve the aims:
- understanding – demonstrating understanding of the challenges and pressures faced by all parties, respecting each other’s roles and responsibilities.
- flexibility – demonstrating ability to adapt to changing circumstances and adjust ways of working, to innovate and include different types of organisations.
- mutual learning – working together to ensure all parties can be open about what has worked well and what needs to improve.
- trust – creating mutual trust by investing in relationships that recognise goodwill and build a shared purpose, communicating regularly, honestly and openly, acting with integrity and honouring commitments.
- openness – maintaining open channels of communication and respect, agreeing to disagree where necessary and seeking to resolve tensions without undermining collaboration.
- diversity, equality and inclusion – promoting rights and responsibilities in how we work with each other and with communities, ensuring equity of access wherever possible.
The Reading Partnership Agreement aligns with the principles of the Civil Society Covenant:
1. Recognition and value
The Partnership Agreement builds solid relationships and strengthens sector independence by promoting respect and value for the Council’s and voluntary sector’s respective strengths, responsibilities, perspectives and constraints.
Respect for independence and legitimacy
The Council respects the independence and legitimacy of VCS organisations to advocate and campaign, including protecting the right to engage in peaceful protest.
The Reading VCS respects the legitimacy of the Council to make decisions and its accountability to Government, as well as understanding the demand pressures and financial constraints that it operates within.
The Council does not treat VCS organisations which have constructively expressed disagreement with policies or decisions any less favourably by excluding them from strategic discussions or funding opportunities.
Recognition of value, role and different perspectives
The Council recognises and values the economicand social contributions of the VCS, including the inherent community benefit VCS organisations bring, and their ability to build cohesive, inclusive communities.
The VCS recognises that Reading Councillors are democratically elected and have formal accountability to the public as leaders.
The Council values VCS expertise when shaping policy and designing services. Areas of expertise mayinclude trusted relationships with residents, deep knowledge about what works, community leadership and building, social business, and service delivery.
Understanding responsibilities and constraints
The Council and the VCS understand each other’s respective responsibilities and operational parameters under legal requirements, financial constraints, relevant regulations and ethical standards.
The Council recognises the responsibility of charities to constructively speak out when local authority policy may negatively impact their beneficiaries.
The VCS and the Council understand that they will not always agree, and that the Council may have to balance competing factors and priorities in its decisions.
2. Partnership and collaboration
The Partnership Agreement encourages high quality, purposeful, collaborative working between the Council and the VCS to inform decision-making and service design, delivering better solutions for all.
Early, regular and ongoing engagement
The Council and the VCS Leaders will work together as strategic partners to identify and develop mutual priorities to achieve shared goals.
The Council communicates strategically and effectively with the VCS through channels that are accessible, open and inclusive for effective two-way conversations.
The VCS accurately and effectively shares information to ensure that it is aware of important local issues and its role in supporting them.
The Council enables the VCS to contribute insights and expertise to define challenges, create a shared purpose and where priorities align, agree outcomes to inform relevant policy development and service design.
In making this contribution, the VCS will draw on its strengths, including its expertise in representing the interests of the people or causes it has been established to support, acting strategically by engaging early, sharing evidence, insights, and expertise wherever resources allow.
Creating the conditions for collaboration and innovation
The Council and the VCS promote a culture and environment conducive to innovation, creating opportunities for testing new ideas, focusing on impact and learning, and building on what works.
The Council and the VCS work together to prioritise preventative interventions and take a long-term view to tackle challenges and realise opportunities.
Addressing barriers to delivery in partnership
Where appropriate, the Council supports collaborative commissioning models, recognising the inherent social value the VCS brings, offering flexibility to achieve outcomes, ensuring proportionate monitoring and seeking to align funding to agreed outcomes within available resources.
All commissioning and funding activity conducted by the Council will comply with procurement, subsidy control and financial regulations, and will be delivered in a way that appropriately manages conflicts of interest arising from early engagement and co-design.
VCS organisations work in partnership together and with other sectors, seeking to remove barriers for smaller VCS partners.
The Council encourages the VCS to work in partnership when it commissions services through multiyear funding arrangements, recognising that sustainable partnership working is vital to working jointly on long term issues.
The Council works with the voluntary sector in a fair, open, and transparent way to reduce barriers to and creates opportunities for partnership working.
3. Participation and inclusion
The Partnership Agreement provides greater opportunities for people to influence decisions and activities affecting their lives, where the Council and VCS enable increased involvement and representation.
Enable diversity, equity and inclusion
VCS organisations further diversity, equity and inclusion in ways that are relevant to their mission and represent the interests of the people or causes they have been established to support.
The Council works with the VCS to ensure relevant groups are represented in policymaking, through whichever method is most appropriate, particularly those who may experience barriers or exclusion, and listens to those impacted by decisions.
The VCS will work with the Council to improve community cohesion within the borough, and specifically to realise the ambitions of the Council’s Anti-Racism statement.
The Council and the VCS follow accessibility, communication, and equality impact assessment best practice requirements.
Engaging residents and communities in decision making and delivery
The Council and the VCS have a shared ambition to involve communities and residents in shaping services that may affect them.
VCS organisations involve their beneficiaries in their work, including those with lived experience, where it is relevant to their mission.
Removing barriers to active participation to build a healthy democracy and community resilience
The Council and the VCS work together to facilitate and create the conditions for active participation in society, such as volunteering or social action, to build community capacity, social cohesion and resilience.
The VCS have a responsibility to highlight opportunities for residents to get involved with democratic decisions.
4. Transparency and data
The Partnership Agreement champions more open sharing of information and data to enable understanding of need and facilitate evidence-based solutions.
To ensure the maintenance of necessary standards and practices, all data sharing will comply with UK GDPR where personal data is involved.
Engage in open, honest and transparent communication
The VCS and the Council work together to create the conditions needed for open communication, applying proportionate and well explained confidentiality arrangements.
The Council aims to offer feedback after engagement on policy and funding decisions to drive learning and improvements.
The Council follows LGA guidance regarding the publication of impact assessments and consultation responses.
Make evidence and data publicly available
The VCS maintains public trust by being proactively transparent and accountable for the money they receive.
VCS organisations share the research and analysis they undertake as far as reasonably possible, whilst also complying with data protection regulations.
Improve data development
The VCS and the Council work together to find effective ways to measure the value and health of civil society, identify any evidence gaps and review adherence to this Partnership Agreement.
The VCS and the Council work together to recognise the value of different evidence sources, including lived experience.
The VCS and the Council work together to improve data collection, recognising the data and evidence challenges that civil society organisations can face and being informed by a range of different evidence sources and insights.
Embedding the Reading Partnership Agreement
To Improve engagement and participation an online hub on the RVA website will provide guidance, case studies and an online feedback form.
The Partnership Agreement will be considered in developing new Council policy, strategy or service proposals.
Annual presentation on the delivery and outcomes of the Agreement to the Council’s Policy Committee.
Annual outcomes presentation to the Council’s Social Inclusion Board to include Infrastructure delivery partners.
Quarterly review of the Agreement at VCS Intelligence Network meetings
The Agreement will be a standing agenda item for VCS Leaders meetings with the Council Leader and Senior Management.
Voluntary and Community Sector partnership agreement action plan 2026-29
1. Recognition and value
| Action | Activity/deliverables | Lead | Timescale | Update |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RBC Commission an Infrastructure service through Closing the Gap 2026. | An extensive range of advice and support services covering the 4 functions of VCS Infrastructure: Leadership and Advocacy: Giving a voice to the VCS sector, championing local community needs. Partnerships and Collaboration: Connecting diverse organizations, building cross-sector alliances, and facilitating joint working Capacity Building: Providing practical support, training, and resources to help small charities and community groups develop and thrive. Volunteering: Nurturing and encouraging volunteering opportunities, connecting people with causes they care about to drive local, positive change | Reading Voluntary Action in partnership with Reading Advice Network and Connect Reading | April 2026 with a 3–5-year cycle | Quarterly monitoring and outcomes available. |
| VCS Partnership Agreement Annual Statement | Develop an Annual Statement of achievements and progress against the VCS Partnership Agreement Action Plan, (including feedback from VCS), which can be presented to Policy Committee and shared publicly. | RBC / RVA | May 2027 | |
| Provide training and mentor support to enable groups to evidence impact and raise awareness of their work. | To raise awareness of the effectiveness of community groups. | RVA | May 2027 |
3. Partnership and collaboration
| Action | Activity/deliverables | Lead | Timescale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work collectively to identify potential social value priorities to promote as opportunities through RBC procurement. | Commercial organisations winning RBC contracts contribute their skills and resources to achieve better outcomes for Reading residents. | RBC / Connect Reading/ RVA | May 2027 |
| Identify and share VCS engagement opportunities within Service Plan priorities | Systematic assessment of potential VCS engagement opportunities. | RBC | May 2027 |
| RBC Staff Volunteering Policy | Ability of staff to undertake 2 days per year paid leave for volunteering with Reading VCS? | RBC | May 2027 |
| RBC Working with Volunteers Policy | Agreed guidelines for how RBC services include supported volunteers when delivering services. | RBC | May 2027 |
| Work collectively as Closing the Gap ‘providers’ and RBC to improve collaborative working through the Closing the Gap Action Research Partnership | Improved opportunities for partnership working and joint learning across VCS and RBC, to enable better public health outcomes for communities | RBC / VCS | Closing the Gap contract cycle (3-5 years) |
| Develop and maintain dedicated MS Teams site for VCS organisations delivering CTG2 commissioned services. | Ability for CTG2 providers to interact with each other and the Council. | RBC | June 2026 |
| Provide the Reading4Community Funding Portal | Provide VCS with information on potential funding opportunities. | RBC | Ongoing |
| Enable VCS organisations to be able to express their accommodation needs to identify opportunities within RBC assets | Aligning available / surplus RBC assets with local VCS accommodation needs. | RBC / VCS | Ongoing |
| Successful delivery of Small Grants Fund | Direct financial support to VCS activities within the borough. | RBC | January 2027 |
| Review and improve VCS Support / Volunteering pages on RBC website | Expand the range of information and support available on volunteering within RBC website. | RBC | October 2026 |
| Support for VCS workforce development through targeted Public Health training offers | Training offer to include Suicide First Aid tutor training, mental health and wellbeing training for VCS organisations. | RBC | May 2027 |
| Public Health joint learning and system‑wide capacity building. | Place Universal Offer training and previous facilitation of See Change training with VCS partners | RBC | May 2027 |
| Public Health Training for VCS | An ongoing intention to work with RVA and VCS partners to identify priority training needs where these align with public health and wider system objectives. | RBC | May 2027 |
3. Participation and inclusion
| Action | Activity/deliverables | Lead | Timescale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engagement and comms to promote the Partnership Agreement across the VCS with opportunities to feed into the annual review. | Widen the partnership between RBC and the VCS, ensuring all parts of the VCS can input and shape the relationship. | RVA / RBC / VCS | May 2027 |
| Deliver themed VCS Assembly meetings, to share opportunities and propose solutions to issues | Opportunities for whole VCS and stakeholders to discuss priorities and solutions. | RVA | May 2027 |
| Maintain single point of contact escalation point for VCS Issues | A clear point of contact for the VCS on any immediate issues. | RBC | Ongoing |
| VCS briefing on the RBC Budget for the forthcoming year | Provide an annual briefing for VCS organisations on the RBC Budget for the forthcoming year. | RBC | February (each year) |
Transparency and data
| Action | Activity/deliverables | Lead | Timescale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Map community groups. | Community groups are more visible. | RVA | May 2027 |
| RBC Leader & Senior Manager meetings with CTG2 Infrastructure providers | Direct strategic discussion opportunity between senior Council leadership and VCS Leaders. | RBC / VCS | 3 meetings per year |
| Maintain the Voluntary Sector Intelligence Network meetings | Sector-led information sharing and discussion on live issues. | RBC | Monthly Meetings |
| Social Inclusion Board meeting dedicated to VCS | Opportunity for VCS to discuss current issues and explore future options with key senior RBC managers and partners. | RBC | May 2027 |
| Closing the Gap 2 Implementation & Monitoring | Increasing the resilience of residents through collaborative working with VCS. | RBC / VCS | Ongoing |
| Analysis of volunteering within the borough | Improved understanding of volunteer opportunities and volunteer numbers within the borough. | RVA | May 2027 |
| VCS celebration events | Showcase and celebrate volunteering in all its forms across our communities. | RVA | May 2027 |
| Analysis of RBC financial contribution to VCS | Detailed understanding of how Council resources are utilised within the VCS, and how they support RBC delivery and financial priorities. | RBC | May 2027 |
Last updated on 18/09/2026
Voluntary and community sector partnership agreement 2026-29