This report by Tony Chapman and Jonathan Wistow of Policy&Practice produces statistical analysis of the situation of the local voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) in Thames Valley. This research is set in the context of the establishment of geographically reconfigured NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) across England.
NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board was established on 1st April 2026 to plan and oversee health and care services. The Board covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire an area comprising over 2.5 million residents. NHS Thames Valley ICB exists to oversee the area’s £5.6 billion health budget by considering the needs of local communities and deciding where services need to be focused in coordination with hospitals, GP practices, community services, councils and VCSE organisations and groups.
As this report draws upon comparative data for the whole of South East England, evidence from several other ICBs areas will also be reported, including: Kent and Maidenhead ICB, Surrey and Sussex ICB (given the large population of this area, data on ceremonial counties will be reported) and Hampshire and the Isle of Wight ICB.
This report on Thames Valley, as a sub-region of South East England, constitutes one of five area studies – including North East England, Wales, Essex (in the context of East of England) and Devon & Cornwall (in the context of South West England).
Parallel comparative area studies help to make sense of local conditions by holding up a mirror to ‘similar’ or ‘different’ places. This makes it easier to formulate a list of issues about local policy and practice from a ‘position of distance’, which the voluntary sector (and stakeholders in the public and private sectors which support it) may choose to debate.
Making critical observations from a distance can help people working in the locality to draw back from ‘taken for granted’ beliefs and expectations about what is happening in their area. That can sometimes be an uncomfortable and unwelcome experience. But the observations offered in the report on policy and practice priorities in Thames Valley, we hope, will be taken in the right spirit as ‘talking points’ on issues that might sometimes be overlooked.
The VCSE sector in Thames Valley is large and impactful.
- There are around 9,430 registered organisations. Sector income is around £2.65bn.
- Thames Valley VCSE sector produces £4.5bn in added fiscal, economic and use value. When sector energy and intangible value is added, it comes to about £10.3bn.
- ~49,450 VCSE sector employees in the area – signs of marginal increase rather than decline – but issues with recruitment and retention.
- ~188,340 regular volunteers deliver 13.6m hours work. Their proxy replacement value is £166m-£258m. 32% of orgs still not recovered volunteer numbers fully from pandemic (38% nationally).
- Most VCSE organisations’ leaders are confident about their future finances and exhibit real ‘vitality; in their outlook.
The publication of the report coincides with an online event of the Thames Valley VCSE Alliance on 25th June which was attended by over 100 delegates from the public, voluntary and private sector.
The report is available here: Third Sector Trends in Thames Valley (June 2025)
The presentation for the Thames Valley VCSE Alliance conference is available here: TSTS Presentation for Thames Valley VCSE Alliance Conference 25th June 2026
All other reports from this year’s study are available here: Third Sector Trends Publications Archive.