About MVSC

Merton Voluntary Service Council supports and develops the voluntary sector in Merton. We are part of a network of Councils for Voluntary Service throughout the country and, like all Councils for Voluntary Service, MVSC's work has five core functions:

  • Services - providing advice, information, training and other practical support services for local voluntary and community groups

  • Development - identifying unmet needs and supporting the development of new and existing voluntary groups

  • Liaison - encouraging networking, co-operation and joint action among voluntary organisations and supporting links with statutory services

  • Enabling representation - enabling the views of the voluntary sector to be represented to statutory agencies

  • Strategic partnership - enabling the voluntary and community sector to engage in partnership work with other sectors.

Visit our home page to read more about our work and services.
Legal Status & Board of Trustees. MVSC is a Company Limited by Guarantee No 4164949, registered in England and Wales. Registered Charity. Board of Trustees:
 
Shirley Higgins (President)
Lola Barrett (Chair)
Alec Botten (Vice Chair) 
Russell Humphreys (Treasurer) 
Helen Binnie 
Ray Hautot 
Muriel Martin 
Fosuah Poku 
Tom Walsh
Slim Flegg
About Merton

The London Borough of Merton is an outer London borough with a mixture of residential housing, retail, manufacturing and warehousing areas and natural open spaces. It is a borough of sharp contrasts. Although there are areas that are relatively wealthy and green (two wards are in the top 5% most affluent nationally), it also has areas with many problems, predominately in the east of the borough (three wards are in the 15% most income-deprived nationally). Nearly a quarter of the population is under 18 and over 25% are aged 55 and over.

Merton has a diverse community with a large range of faiths and places of worship and about 25% of Merton's residents coming from black and ethnic minority communities. The number of groups with specific needs is increasing, for example refugees and asylum seekers, people with learning disabilities, ethnic older people, travellers, people with HIV.

Merton has a thriving voluntary and community sector with over 500 organisations, spanning virtually every aspect of life. These independent organisations provide many highly valued services and are often engaged in running innovative projects, identifying new needs, self-help, campaigning, lobbying and advocacy. Information about many of these voluntary and community organisation can be accessed by searching our online directory.
 
 
 

Merton Partnership

MVSC is a member of the Merton Partnership. The Merton Partnership is the overarching strategic partnership that seeks to place the needs of the community, the reduction in inequalities in the borough, and the effective delivery of public services right at the heart of what public agencies and their partners do.

The Partnership is responsible for the delivery of Merton's Community Plan and Local Area Agreement (LAA) objectives. The Partnership’s aim to ‘bridge the gap’ between the east and west of the borough is the central focus of the LAA.

To learn more about the Merton Partnership, who is involved and what it does, visit http://www.mertonpartnership.org/