Council and Reading’s Community and Voluntary Sector to Sign New Three-Year Partnership Agreement

A new partnership agreement will shape how the Council will work with the town’s voluntary and community sector over the next three years to further improve the quality of life of residents and communities across Reading. 

Reading is home to an incredible array of voluntary and community sector (VCS) organisations who share the Council’s ambition of helping residents to realise their full potential and ensuring everybody who lives and works here can share the benefits of the town’s success. The Council has a long history of working in partnership with Reading’s VCS sector and will regularly tap into their expertise by funding them to deliver a range of local initiatives and building understanding from its collective knowledge and experience. 

The Voluntary and Community Sector Partnership Agreement 2026-29 has been co-produced by Reading Voluntary Action (RVA) and Reading VCS leaders and reflects the ambition of the UK’s Civil Society Covenant, introduced by Government last year. It sets out the basis for future partnership working and collaboration, ensuring efforts are joined up and target areas which can bring the biggest benefits to residents. 

Alongside setting out shared expectations, values and ways of working, the agreement includes a practical commitment to an action plan which will be regularly reviewed. The plan highlights how the sector will help the Council reach residents through a series of local initiatives, including the Closing the Gap scheme and Small Grants Fund, and how the Council will help voluntary and community groups. This includes providing a portal for the VCS get information on potential funding opportunities, a route for organisations to identify possible accommodation needs through Council assets, and Public Health training for relevant groups.

The agreement highlights how the VCS will work with the Council to improve community cohesion locally, and specifically to realise the ambitions of the Council’s adopted Anti-Racism statement. It also acknowledges that the Council may have to balance competing factors and priorities in its decisions, including recognising ongoing demand pressures and financial constraints.

Reading’s new Voluntary and Community Sector Partnership Agreement 2026-29 is set to be agreed at a meeting of the Council’s Policy Committee on Wednesday 16 September https://democracy.reading.gov.uk/documents/s41071/VCS%20Partnership%20Agreement%20Report%20PC%20Sept%202026%20FINAL.pdf

Councillor Liz Terry, Reading Council Leader, said:

“This agreement is about delivering the Council’s and the community and voluntary sector’s shared ambition of improving the quality of life for residents and communities in Reading.

“The Council has a very long and proud history of working in partnership with Reading’s third sector and we are fully committed to building on previous successes and enhancing that relationship over the next three-year period. We are lucky in Reading to be home to a community and voluntary sector which is the envy of many other towns and cities, and we intend to continue to make full use of its experience and expertise.”

Councillor Ruth McEwan, Lead for Corporate Services and Resources, said:

“Reading’s voluntary and community sector makes a huge contribution to social inclusion in Reading and in many cases helps the Council reach residents we may not necessarily always be able to. 

“The Council wants Reading to have a healthy and self-sustaining voluntary and community sector that feels it is being listened to, so that it can continue to play a positive role in supporting the quality of life for our residents. This partnership agreement is our commitment to continuing to develop links with the sector and, ultimately, to create opportunities for residents and improve people’s lives in our communities.”   

Rachel Spencer, CEO of Reading Voluntary Action, said:

“We welcome this additional step forward in collaborative working for Reading. The voluntary sector provides vital support and services for residents when they need us - including struggling families and individuals managing poor health and disability. 

“Reading is a vibrant place to live, full of creativity and opportunity. We look forward to working closely with the Council to make best use of our shared resources and experience, enabling all residents to thrive and ensuring no one in our community is left behind.”

The 2026-29 agreement builds on the substantial success of its predecessor, signed in 2023, which delivered several notable achievements over a three-year period. These included: £14 million spent on VCS organisations, including through the Council's annual Closing the Gap and Small Grants Fund schemes; Cost-of-Living support distributed to low-income residents via the Household Support Fund; a ‘State of the Sector’ survey by RVA which has been used to inform the commissioning of services to support the local VCS; and new and effective channels of communication developed between the VCS organisations and the Council Leader and Chief Executive.