Action is needed by councils undergoing local government reorganisation (LGR) to ensure the changes do not hinder partnerships with their local voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector.

The call has been made by the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA), which represents local charity sector infrastructure bodies, and Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE).

Both have been carrying out Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) funded research into the impact of LGR on local VCSE organisations.

They warn that LGR and devolution ‘present significant challenges’ to civil society’s links with councils locally, mainly due to boundary changes, which will impact where organisations work, how they operate and ‘the funder relationships on which they rely’.

For their research, six areas were looked at to reflect a range of localities impacted by LGR, including Surrey, Hampshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, Sussex, Derbyshire and Lancashire.

Councils are urged to ensure their local VCSE sector has a ‘stronger, shared voice within emerging local systems’ to help improve local policy.

New strategic authorities being created through devolution need to ensure their relationship with local VCSE infrastructure bodies is ‘built early’.

‘Communities cannot simply be consulted once decisions have been made; they need to be partners in shaping priorities from the beginning,’ said NAVCA.

It also says that ‘collaboration’ between charity bodies and councils ‘will become increasingly important’ amid LGR and devolution.

‘As local authority boundaries change, organisations will need to work together more closely, develop new partnership models and combine local knowledge with strategic influence,’ it said.

‘The strongest approaches will be those built on trust, shared leadership and a common commitment to strengthening communities.’