Recent research suggests that charities and community groups could be worth more than previously thought to their local and regional economies.

Analysis by Durham University of the direct and wider value created by the VCSE in West Yorkshire, Harrogate and Humber regions demonstrates that VCSE work translates into significant savings for the NHS (and other stakeholders) and is “larger than the finance and insurance industries, and larger than the arts, entertainment and recreation sectors” for that region.

Previously Voscur had estimated the value of the VCSE sector in Bristol at £450m per year, using direct primarily income and expenditure data for registered charities. The research acknowledges the complexity of measuring the sector's financial value and Voscur will compare the two methodologies used to assess whether the value of Bristol’s VCSE could be evidenced more comprehensively – and hence increase the sector’s weight in influencing policy and strategy.