Each £1 spent on volunteering returns £4-£8 or more in direct economic value, according to Volunteering England’s submission to the government ahead of the comprehensive spending review.

In a 24-page letter to government, Volunteering England (VE) makes the economic case for volunteering using the Volunteer Investment Value Audit (VIVA), developed by the Institute for Volunteering Research.

It cites Thames Valley Police as an example, which found a return of £4 on £1 spent on their volunteering programme.

The report adds: “typically analyses have shown returns of eight-fold and upwards.”

VE says this shows investing in volunteering provides economic value with additional returns in terms of preventative interventions and added value of community cohesion.

It calls on local authorities not to view volunteering as a "soft target" or an "optional extra" when making cuts, and says each authority should be required to publish details of how they are supporting volunteering and the local voluntary sector.

VE adds that with the removal of ring-fencing from several major local government grant streams, local authorities should be encouraged to make much wider use of volunteering.

Further, when public spending on volunteering organisations and projects has to be reduced within the government’s agenda, the changes should be phased in during the four-year programme to enable organisation to adapt to the new environment and create new ways of working, says the report.