Greater Manchester has significant inequalities across its towns and cities and the impacts of crises we have seen are unevenly distributed, with the greater impact felt by low income and marginalised communities.

To truly reduce inequality, input and evidence from the communities most affected is needed to shape decisions and shift power.

Our policy team advocate for these communities and the voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise (VCFSE) organisations that support them. 

We do this in a number of ways:

• We break down the elements that make up an inclusive economy and explain how VCFSE organisations have an impact on building an economy that works for all

• We demystify policy in a way that enables VCFSE organisations to understand how they can contribute to the development of strategy and policy in Greater Manchester 

• We enable the voices of low income and marginalised communities to be heard by policy makers and publish evidence to support these voices

• We work to ensure that the role of the VCFSE sector in Greater Manchester is understood, recognised, and valued by policy makers, sharing best practice and impact that is being delivered in the city region

How this looks in practice

Leading on the Inclusive Economy strand of work within the GM VCSE Accord

The Greater Manchester VCSE Accord is a three-way collaboration agreement between the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership (GMICP) and the GM Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) Sector which is represented by the GM VCSE Leadership Group. The Accord lays out a series of shared commitments to tackle entrenched inequalities that the three parties work together in a collaborative way to deliver. 

GMCVO leads on work around the Inclusive Economy. As part of this work we:

• Explain the elements of an inclusive economy and how VCFSE organisations can contribute through a series of blogs, see our policy resources page

• Showcase the work VCFSE organisations are doing to contribute to an inclusive economy through a series of events and portfolios of good practice, see our policy resources page for published reports and our events section below for upcoming events

• Engage the VCFSE sector in the development of GM policy and strategy. Previous examples include:

  • Greater Manchester Strategy

  • Local Industrial Strategy

  • 5 Year Environment Plan

• Connect the VCFSE sector with GM programmes to support inclusive economy such as:

  • Real Living Wage

  • Good Employment Charter

• Facilitate the Inclusive Economy working group (a working group of the GM VCSE Leadership Group) which brings together members of the VCFSE sector, public sector, and anyone else interested in discussing all things related to creating an Inclusive Economy in GM

You can find out more about the Accord here.

Facilitation of the GM Equality Alliance (GM=EqAl)

Greater Manchester Equality Alliance (GM=EqAl) is a coalition of over 30 individuals drawn from a wide range of communities of experience and identity, and VCFSE organisations across Greater Manchester. The alliance serves to connect communities to policy makers, and vice versa, to assist with strategic equality and diversity work in Greater Manchester.

You can find out more about the work of the GM Equality Alliance here.

Briefings, blogs, and resources

As part of our work to demystify policy, we have published several briefings and blogs, see our policy resources page.