Third sector minister Ed Miliband has announced a £2 million plan to realise the full potential of Britain’s voluntary organisations.

The initiative, funded by the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA), will centre on the training of 2,000 local commissioners as part of a wider programme to offer improved public services.

Health authorities, local councils and staff from Jobcentre Plus and the National Offender Management Service will work with the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office in a bid to develop a greater local understanding of voluntary provisions.

Representatives from the third sector and government will act as a steering group for the National Programme for Third Sector Commissioning, which was announced last December as part of the Partnership in Public Services proposal.

"To bring about genuine culture change we must foster greater understanding - particularly at local level - of the benefits third sector organisations can bring in delivering services that change people’s lives for the better," said Mr Miliband.

IDeA executive director Lucy de Groot added: "Councils and the wider public sector know that the third sector is crucial to meeting the ambitions local communities have for their future."

The Office of the Third Sector was created by the prime minister in May 2006 in recognition of the increasingly important role played by voluntary organisations in both delivering public services and boosting the economy.