Shaping Birmingham’s Future Together: Birmingham City Vision & The Voluntary, Community, Faith & Social Enterprise (VCFSE) Sector

Birmingham City Partnership has launched an exciting new City Vision: Shaping Birmingham’s Future Together!
Birmingham City Council Leader Councillor John Cotton and Managing Director Joanne Roney CBE gave their views on the City Vision and answered VCFSE sector questions
Brian Carr, BVSC Chief Executive shares his insight on how BVSC and Birmingham’s Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector can contribute to Birmingham’s Future
Get involved and share your organisation’s views on the City Vision through our 15 May event: Promise in Action: Building Readiness for Birmingham’s City Vision
Keep updated on City Vision through our new BVSC webpages

Birmingham City Partnership has launched an exciting new City Vision: Shaping Birmingham’s Future Together!

Birmingham City Vision and the Voluntary, Community, Faith & Social Enterprise (VCFSE) Sector

On 7 April, at an online event, Birmingham City Council Leader Councillor John Cotton and Managing Director Joanne Roney CBE gave their views and answered questions as to how the City Council and the Voluntary Community Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector might positively work together to meet the opportunities and needs of the City and its communities according to the City Vision over the coming years.

Further details of the event, recording and presentation are available here.

Brian Carr, BVSC Chief Executive and member of Birmingham City Partnership Board, shares his insight below on how BVSC and Birmingham’s Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector can contribute to Birmingham’s Future:

“BVSC made the move to Latham House on Paradise Street over a year ago and we’re hard at work transforming our new space into a vibrant hub for Birmingham’s VCFSE sector.

More than 4,000 organisations make up Birmingham’s VCFSE sector, of which 2,500 are registered charities. Together, they are driving transformative change, improving lives and revitalising communities across the city of Birmingham.

As a membership organisation for VCFSE organisations, a registered charity and Birmingham’s CVS (Council for Voluntary Service), we provide organisations with the support they need to grow and thrive so they can, in turn, support our city.

We’re proud to trace our origins back to 1916 (during WW1) when we emerged from the amalgamated Birmingham Charitable Organisation Society and Birmingham City Aid Society. At a pivotal meeting at the Council House, chaired by Mayor Neville Chamberlain, the Birmingham Citizens Society (our former name) was formed.

Inter-war, the organisation pioneered activities laying foundations for today’s CVS model, such as funding war veterans, supporting charities, creating resource libraries, conducting research and addressing community needs. This has shaped the organisation we are today, supporting the sector to be a force for positive change.

The VCFSE sector is well placed to support the City to benefit from opportunities and to tackle its challenges. As significant contributors to the economy, organisations range from small local community groups to large multinational enterprises, working with thousands of volunteers and staff, with an estimated combined turnover of over £640m.

The Sector manages community assets across every area of the city from community centres, to places of worship, schools to housing, parks to sports and cultural venues. They provide services spanning every economic sector, delivered to wide ranging beneficiaries, including those disadvantaged due to poverty or inequality, or tackling environmental issues.

The sector has a spirit of community, civic pride, innovation and entrepreneurship throughout. This comes to the fore in times of crisis, as with Covid-19 and the rising cost of living where many citizens volunteered to deliver help and hope to those most in need.

BVSC led Birmingham’s Vision for Volunteering, working with City partners to support a thriving volunteer environment both now and into the future. We have recently launched Volunteer Brum, a new online volunteering platform designed to connect local people with meaningful volunteering opportunities across Birmingham.

BVSC works with partners in Shaping Birmingham’s Future Together, through:

Growth & Prosperity

Our Engage for Funding initiative empowers organisations to work with funders to secure funding for local causes, whether through Birmingham Community Lottery, donations, resources, grants, sponsorship or contracts.

Knowledge & Opportunity

Our Research Team works with institutions such as the University of Birmingham to provide insight, intelligence and data on the VCFSE sector, community issues and impact.

Equity & Inclusion

The West Midlands Multi-Bank, a BVSC/Amazon partnership, delivers support to those in need with donations of products and goods.

Safety & Sustainability

BrumEnergy, a consortium led by BVSC, has provided home energy advice to around 7000 households, including those in fuel poverty.

Connected Brum

Digital NNS helps Birmingham’s ten Neighbourhood Network Schemes and the wider VCFSE sector to build digital skills and capacity to support citizens and communities.

Tackling Inequality

Anti-Racist City ambitions are supported by BVSC and we’ve signed an Anti-Racist pledge and published a position paper.

We look forward to forging even stronger partnerships across the City to maximise our opportunities, tackle challenges and help shape a brighter future together.”

Get Involved

Promise in Action: Building Readiness for Birmingham’s City Vision, 15 May 2025

We would like to hear your organisation’s views on the Birmingham City Vision!

Join BVSC Research for an engaging cross-sector workshop to shape the future of Birmingham! Share key findings from our recent research on the impact of Section 114; showcase how these findings align with the City Vision, 5 Missions and Promises; provide practical recommendations to become ‘Promise Ready’.

Book a place

Shaping Birmingham’s Future Together Marketplace Roadshow, 2025

The Shaping Birmingham’s Future Together roadshow showcases powerful community marketplaces hosted by the Shaping Birmingham’s Future Together (SBFT) Partnership!

The partnership launched these marketplaces in January 2025 travelling across the 10 Birmingham constituencies throughout the year. Whether you’re seeking advice, support, or simply want to learn more about what’s available in your community, these marketplaces are the perfect opportunity to get involved and stay informed. We have different organisations attending different events – the details of these will be made available to you after you register.

Find Out More

Find out more and keep updated on the City Vision through our new BVSC City Vision webpages.

If you have any further questions on the City Vision, please contact Elizabeth Goodchild, Strategic Partnership Manager, BVSC at [email protected]

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