The British Academy (the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences) has funded a project to understand how the value of parish and town councils can be measured. Middlesex University Business School are managing the project and are inviting anyone in parish and town councils to attend an online workshop, to take place between 12:45 p.m. and 14:15 on 25 February.

There is a feeling that the sector (Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE)) makes a significant contribution to the UK economy, but the evidence to show its activities and impacts is lacking, meaning that we are not taken into consideration when policy is made and we cannot demonstrate our value or justify additional resources for our work.

The questions covered in the session include:

How is 'value' currently measured? What metrics capture VCSE service quality?

Who uses these measures and how? How are valuation approaches applied across stakeholder networks?

Are current methods fit for purpose? Do measures reflect multifaceted VCSE value?

How is value negotiated? How do actors justify, construct, resource, and assess outputs?

Do VCSE services offer system efficiencies? Do delivery methods lead to more effective interventions?

How can data practices be improved? What steps enhance data collection to empower the sector?

I would like to encourage anyone interested in ensuring the funding and longevity of our sector to get involved. Please click here to reserve a place.