Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government has taken to help ensure that local resilience forums and local authorities engage with the local voluntary and community sector to ensure effective support is available to people affected by the covid-19 outbreak.

MHCLG continues to work with local agencies, including the local voluntary and community sector (VCS), to manage the Covid-19 pandemic.

The local voluntary and community sector, and volunteers, are essential partners for many local support services – both in ‘normal’ times and even more so in the Covid-19 response.

Local resilience forums and local authorities have well established structures in place to work with the voluntary and community sector and, in response to Covid-19, are working alongside VCS partners and are coordinating volunteer support. This includes volunteer hubs or centres in some areas.

To support local engagement of the VCS, the Government has provided support and guidance on partnership working, as well as announcing a £750 million support package to assist voluntary and community sector organisations. The NHS Volunteer Responders are also open to referrals from local authorities and local resilience forums.