A Strong Message from Glasgow’s Voluntary Sector
9th June 2026
Author: Lynn Williams, Partnerships and Membership Coordinator
Policy asks for Government from our pre-election event
On April 24th, voluntary and community organisations from across Glasgow came together for our pre-election event.
Together, we developed a clear set of policy asks for the new Scottish Government, and today, we’re sharing an open letter to the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice. This includes an invitation to meet with GCVS members at a roundtable while work is underway to shape the new Programme for Government.
Our open letter to the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice
Dear First Minister and Cabinet Secretary,
Firstly, congratulations to you both on your re-election and the formation of the new Administration. There is no doubt that tough times lie ahead for many reasons, and, as ever, the voluntary sector stands ready to play its part in responding to the needs of communities most affected by ongoing global and economic uncertainty.
A Collective Voice from the Voluntary Sector
With this in mind, we wanted to share an agreed set of policy asks that was created collectively by representatives from women’s groups, disability and condition-specific organisations, addiction support groups, arts and culture charities, wellbeing support and older people’s organisations.
These were developed at our pre-election event, where we heard from charity leaders, frontline staff and volunteers from every part of Glasgow.
There was a strong key message coming from these charities:
The voluntary sector is part of Scotland’s social infrastructure, and we must secure it if, as a country, we are serious about tackling poverty and inequality.
Our Shared Policy Priorities
The policy asks agreed were:
- Investment in community support that prevents crisis and enables people to live well.
- New approaches to taxation to generate the resources needed for prevention and investment in public and voluntary sector services.
- Fair, multi‑year, stable funding for the voluntary sector, enabling fair work, good conditions, and sustainable services.
- Urgent action on poverty, recognising its deep and widening impacts on individuals, families, and communities.
- Meaningful involvement of people and the voluntary sector in shaping the policies and legislation that affect them.
- A shift away from short-termism. Less focus on the next election and greater focus on long-term outcomes for every citizen.
Key Issues Raised by Communities
Alongside these structural asks, the charities and community groups who attended called for action on the following issues:
- The safety of women in all aspects of daily life, and the disproportionate impact of cuts to public services and social security.
- Investment in active travel, as part of a fair and inclusive response to the climate crisis.
- Challenging harmful political rhetoric that targets already-stigmatised groups, including disabled people, asylum seekers and refugees, and people claiming social security.
- Cross‑government and cross‑sector action to address the mental health crisis and strengthen suicide prevention.
Working Together
We’d like to invite you to meet with local charities and frontline community groups to discuss how we can work together to tackle the cost of living, improve wellbeing for every citizen, and build the fair, kind, and inclusive country we all want to see. We would be delighted to work with your offices to arrange a roundtable discussion over the coming weeks as you finalise the Programme for Government.
What can you do?
Please share this letter with your own local MSPs and your own networks.
You can find out who your MSPs are here – Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs)
This content was written by our team, with AI tools used only to support review and refinement.