A new report has called for a major overhaul of London’s civil society support network, urging the creation of a ‘London Hub’ and advocating that communities should drive change.

The report, entitled The Way Ahead – Civil Society at the Heart of London, published by London Funders, Greater London Volunteering and the London Voluntary Services Council, says that the voluntary sector in London is facing acute uncertainty and advocates a major restructuring of the sector.

The report says that London’s rapidly increasing population and the shrinking resources available to local authorities and councils will have “profound implications for civil society” in the capital moving forwards.

The Way Ahead advocates “building community strength and self-reliance” placing “London communities at the heart of developing solutions to issues affecting them” and, in doing so “eliminate the duplication and inefficiency of current ‘top-down’ models of support”.

Main recommendations   

• Local support across London to operate ‘triage and connect’ services – supporting needs assessment and linking grassroots organisations and volunteers with sources of support from the full range of what is available within and beyond civil society
• A ‘London Hub’ to collect and share data, provide standardised resources for local support groups to tailor to local need, and to influence at a regional level
• New roles for the Greater London Authority to collect data and, working with London Councils, to ensure that civil society plays an active part in strategic decision-making for London, and ensure consistency of funding.
• Creation of a new support system built on shared understanding of need between communities, civil society organisations and funders.

The report also says that, “given the scale of change proposed” it advocates the establishment of a “Systems Change Group” which would work closely with London councils, businesses and independent funders to implement the change.

The report sets out a timescale in which, by November 2016, it hopes to have identified areas and begun to prototype its recommendations and then publish a review of its findings.

David Warner, director of London Funders, said: “Civil society has for too long been seen as an add-on to the rest of London – easy to ignore and easy to cut.

“But civil society has a unique role working with London’s most vulnerable – it sees what others can’t see and knows what others can’t know. We wouldn’t function properly without it so it’s vital that we bring it back into the heart of London life.”