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About the South West

Third sector structures

A 'consortium' (plural 'consortia') refers to a group or network of support providers who come together to plan strategically to improve the support services available in their region.

The Infrastructure Development Partnership (IDP)

Third Sector local consortia and regional infrastructure have come together with key regional public sector partners and funders to form the Infrastructure Development Partnership (IDP).

The IDP is the partnership responsible for taking forwards the development and implementation of a coherent infrastructure strategy for the South West. This strategy seeks to help sub-regional consortia and regional organisations/partnerships identify their appropriate and respective roles for influencing and shaping support in the region.

Local structures

There are currently twelve sub-regional consortia in the South West which feed into and out of the IDP. Each consortium covers a county, unitary area, or grouping of unitary areas.

The sub-regional consortia come together in a regional network which meets roughly bi-monthly.

Local groups funded through Capacitybuilders' Improving Reach and Modernisation programmes have been actively encouraged to build links with or join the most appropriate local consortia.

Regional structures

There are a range of regional strategic networks in the South West embracing the third sector. Some of these specialist networks and organisations work across the whole region and others deliver across a range of local areas and sub-regions.

Key facts and figures
Area
  
Square kilometres  23,837
Rural/urban  80% of the area is rural
Population
  
Size 5.1 million
Percentage of UK population 10%
Rural/urban spread Over 56% live in the rural areas
Main urban areas Bristol, Bournemouth & Poole, Plymouth, Swindon, Gloucester,  Torbay, Cheltenham (Gloucestershire), Exeter (Devon)
Deprivation The South West has 113 Super Output Areas among the most deprived 10% in England (2007) 
Ethnicity
  
Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) population 2.4%
Breakdown 3.9 % mixed, Indian, Chinese,  African, Caribbean origin
Highest BME population 42% in Bristol, Gloucester, Swindon
South West voluntary and community sector
  
Registered charities 17,145
Other VCS organisations  56,000
VCS employment  54,000 people (by charities)
Numbers in volunteering  1.8 million adult volunteers
Charitable income  £1.92 billion (charitable only)

 

Region SW