Council support for voluntary and community sector delivers millions
A report to tomorrow's (Tuesday) meeting of cabinet reveals the impact of the £180,000 the council awarded to the sector in 2025/26 - with millions generated through voluntary work, support with debts and benefits, and successful bids for external funding.
The council's £8,792 grant to Rugby Foodbank helped to distribute nearly 5,900 emergency food parcels in 2025/26, while the following community organisations and partnerships each received a grant of £8,240 to run a range of grassroots services:
- Benn Partnership Centre
- Brownsover Community Association
- Long Lawford Community Association
- New Bilton Community Association
- Newbold-on-Avon Community Partnership
- Overslade Community Association
The associations and partnerships deliver warm hubs, youth clubs, exercise classes, children's play sessions, job clubs and more - from community growing projects and cafés to cookery classes and IT skills sessions.
The council also partners with Warwickshire Community and Voluntary Action (WCAVA), and the Bedworth, Rugby and Nuneaton Citizens Advice Bureau (BRANCAB), to deliver a range of support services in the borough.
WCAVA received £39,600 for 2025/26, supporting the placement of more than 400 volunteers in new roles while organising volunteering activities which generated an estimated economic value of nearly £1.5 million.
WCAVA supported more than 170 community and voluntary organisations in the borough during the year, and helped organisations secure £205,000 in external funding.
The council funded BRANCAB to the tune of £73,000 in 2025/26, with the bureau's team supporting more than 5,300 clients - the majority of which were facing issues with benefits, tax credits and/or debt.
BRANCAB delivered outcomes worth more than £5.5 million during the year, hosting drop-in sessions at the bureau's offices in Chestnut House, North Street, and outreach sessions at Brownsover Community Centre and Rugby Foodbank.
Cllr Claire Edwards, Rugby Borough Council portfolio holder for communities, housing and safety, said: "The council's financial support of the voluntary and community sector delivers a remarkable return on the investment for our communities, both through practical support such as accessing benefits, dealing with debt and searching for work, and through community-based, grassroots services which support the health and wellbeing of residents.
"By empowering our community associations and partnerships to respond to local need, we have helped to create a thriving, community-led network of support services for residents of all ages."
Cllr Jerry Roodhouse, deputy leader of the council, added: "The voluntary and community sector plays a key role in allowing the council to deliver services, with communities and individuals benefiting directly from the council's support of this sector."