Press release: Volunteering England urges local authorities to show volunteer value

1 August 2007

For immediate release

Andy Forster, Policy and Campaigns Strategist at Volunteering England, said:

“Volunteering England welcomes the Audit Commission’s report Hearts and Minds: commissioning from the voluntary sector and in particular the references to the added value that Local Authorities get when volunteers deliver the service instead of paid staff. We also appreciate the acknowledgement that it is appropriate to recognise the economic value of a volunteer’s time and the contribution volunteers make to service delivery.

“However, it remains that too many providers do not acknowledge the volunteers, contribution to the delivery of commissioned services should be measured, recognised and celebrated.

“Volunteering England would urge that in commissioning services from the voluntary sector both Local Authorities and commissioned providers:

• Make visible the value of volunteers contributions in their publications and formal reporting
• Demonstrate that the contribution of volunteers is recognised as having more than economic value
• Recognise the added value that volunteers can bring through diversity and increased local accountability in the delivery of services to local communities.

“Volunteers play a vital role in the delivery of public services, and to ignore their contribution, both financially and otherwise, is to devalue their efforts on which society increasingly relies.”

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Notes to Editors

• For more information on Volunteering England, call Cat Dean on 020 7520 8932 or email cat.dean@volunteeringengland.org. For out of hours press enquiries, contact Sonya Roberts on 07952 128057.