Representatives from the voluntary sector have applauded the government’s decision to protect Lottery resources earmarked for charities as it seeks to fund the Olympics.

Tessa Jowell said yesterday in Parliament that after 2009 a transfer of £425 million will come from the third of Big Lottery Fund resources which would have gone to statutory agencies. (more…)

A report is recommending radical new ideas to alleviate Britain’s housing shortage – particularly for the less well-off.

In the report, which was commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Professor Duncan Maclennan finds that new housing provision for low income households lies well below the output of the mid-1990s. (more…)

Sunderland has won funding to pioneer a digital initiative for the benefit of the socially excluded.

The city was selected from a pool of ten finalists for the Digital Challenge competition. Each presented their vision for a digitally enabled society which would better meet the needs of local communities and citizens. (more…)

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. (more…)

One NorthEast currently offers the best services of any Regional Development Agency (RDA) in the country, according to an evaluation by the National Audit Office.

Each of England’s nine RDAs is performing "well" or "strongly" - the best commendations available - the latest Independent Performance Assessment report reveals. (more…)