Voluntary and community sector strategy

Kingston has a truly vibrant voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE). These organisations and individuals work alongside and support communities, changing their services and developing new approaches to meet needs. 

The VCSE works together with the council and other partners to create fairness and equity, celebrate diversity, build inclusion and share opportunity. 

We know we are stronger together and we are committed to continue building on this. 

We have recently agreed on a new strategy, which is the result of ongoing conversations about how we all work together to support and empower each other. Over the life of this strategy we will prioritise and strengthen our relationships and find new ways of working together, striving to maintain the high quality of our local services.
 

Our vision for the borough is:

Kingston is a welcoming and inclusive borough where inequity has no place

We have objectives to work together to:

• Maintain the strength of the partnership ready for new challenges
• Identify need using data, evidence and community voices
• Transform and adapt to meet emerging need and respond to inequality
• Build on the diverse strengths of communities
• Actively promote equality, diversity and inclusion and reject discrimination

The Strengthening Communities Partnership

We are continuing to work as a partnership, coming together to develop an action plan to turn this vision into reality. If you would be interested in joining this partnership as a member of our voluntary, community, social enterprise or faith sector please email strategy@kingston.gov.uk for more details. Regular updates are available through the Kingston Voluntary Action newsletter.

Tackling inequity together

In 2021 Kingston adopted the Marmot Principles. These principles talk about the wider factors that impact on health and wellbeing, and explain how considering and responding to these inequalities will make Kingston a more equitable, inclusive and fair place to live.

These principles are:

• Giving every child the best start in life 
• Enabling all people to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives 
• Ensuring a healthy standard of living for all 
• Creating fair employment and good work for all 
• Creating and developing healthy and sustainable places and communities
• Strengthening the role and impact of ill-health prevention

For more detail about our objectives and how we will work together, you can view the Empowering People, Strengthening Communities Strategy or email strategy@kingston.gov.uk.