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About the North 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 North West Infrastructure Partnership (NWIP )
The NWIP supports the work of the Voluntary Sector North West to ensure that the voluntary and community sector in the North West is effectively represented and promoted at a regional level. This will be achieved through a collaborative regional infrastructure partnership.

The Five Counties Partnership
The Five Counties Partnership is made up of the lead bodies of the voluntary sector infrastructure consortia for Greater Manchester, Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Merseyside and Cheshire. The individual organisations are also members of the NWIP.

The partnership aims to:
  • be integral to the development of strategic relationships within and beyond the third sector in the North West
  • respond collectively to policy
  • undertake joint projects
  • share information and best practice
  • collaborate regionally and seek opportunities to draw funds into the sector.

The five sub-regional consortia have wide and varied memberships with differing structures. All are encouraged to engage with Improving Reach grant holders and to ensure there are effective communication channels with respective members.

Key facts and figures

Area
    
Square kilometres 14,165  
Rural / urban  80% rural  
Population
    
Size  6,805,000  
% of UK population  11.4  
Rural / urban spread Over 60% live in urban areas  
Main urban areas Liverpool and Manchester  
Deprivation The North West has 67 areas within the top 100 of Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2004  
Affluence Macclesfield and Congleton, as per IMD 2004  
Ethnicity
    
Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) 7.9  
Breakdown 3.4% Asian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi origin  
Highest BME population 20% in Blackburn  
North West voluntary and community sector (VCS)
    
Registered charities 15,800  
Other VCS organisations  No accurate figures available  
VCS employment  65,000 people  
Numbers in volunteering  No accurate figures available  
Charitable income  £3.2 billion (charitable only)  

 

 

 

 

 

region NW