More than 60 charity leaders have signed an open letter urging the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak to allow furloughed charity workers to volunteer for their own organisation.

Under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), charity workers can volunteer for another organisation but not their own.

The Fundraising Regulator has published new guidance on setting up a fundraising appeal.

The guidance has been developed in response to the large number of members of the public seeking to raise funds in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Bristol City Council has reaffirmed its support for those struggling to pay their council tax during the COVID-19 crisis.

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, the council already offered reductions to those who might be struggling due to financial difficulties.

Now the council is reassuring residents that it will extend this support to those finding it difficult to pay as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

The CQC has released interim guidance on DBS and other recruitment checks for providers recruiting staff and volunteers to health and social care services in response to coronavirus.

The interim guidance has been launched after temporary changes were made to the DBS applications processes.

The Centre for Social Justice has published a report on the resilience of the voluntary sector during the Coronavirus outbreak.

The report looks at the impact on the sector’s income and makes a number of asks to government.

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a new scheme to support self-employed workers who have been hit by coronavirus restrictions.

Under the scheme they can apply for a grant of up to £2,500 per month.

The scheme is open to people who are already self-employed, have a self-assessment tax return for 2019 and that make trading profits of up to £50,000.

A summary of the latest government guidance for employers and employees.

Sick pay  

*UPDATE: 16/03/2020 - This event is now cancelled, as the mayoral election has been postponed until 2021.*

Voscur will be holding a hustings for the forthcoming Bristol mayoral election. The event is being organised in partnership with:

The Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) has published its State of Local Government Finance report. 

The report is based on information provided by senior figures from around half of all English Councils.  

According to LGiU, this year’s findings tell a story of local government battling with the consequences of years of under-investment and neglect but continuing to be ambitious and innovative on behalf of their residents and places. 

Key findings included: