- Conference
- 2026 National Community Conference and Seminar
- Date
- 5 November 2025
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that voluntary sector services are subject to frequent commissioning and recommissioning through competitive tendering, resulting in widespread use of short-term contracts, often lasting one year or less. This instability undermines service delivery, staff retention, and the wellbeing of service users.
The prevalence of short-term contracts creates insecurity for staff, as individuals seek stable employment and are deterred from joining or remaining in the sector. It also negatively impacts those relying on support, who face disruption when trusted services close or change providers.
Conference recognises that rising inflation and the increased cost of living have greatly raised the cost of delivering services, yet these are rarely reflected in contract uplifts. Charities and not-for-profit organisations are being forced to subsidise services from their own reserves—an unsustainable position that threatens service quality and safety.
Competitive commissioning has increasingly prioritised price over quality, encouraging a “more for less” culture that risks unsafe, under-staffed models and the loss of specialist provision. “By-and-for” organisations remain six times less likely to receive statutory funding, locking out minoritised communities from essential support.
Conference calls on the Service Group Executive to campaign for:
1)A minimum five-year contract length for all voluntary sector services.
2)Annual contract uplifts to reflect inflation and the cost of living.
3)Quality to take precedence over price in commissioning decisions.
4)The protection and inclusion of specialist and “by-and-for” voluntary organisations in commissioning processes.