In the run-up to an election in which the third sector is playing an unprecedented role, the umbrella group NCVO has just released its Almanac of the third sector in England and Wales, offering the most complete data set ever published on the voluntary sector. The organisations that fall within the remit of the NCVO are broad in scope: beyond voluntary organisations, the umbrella covers political parties, trade unions, universities and independent schools with a combined income of £157 billion employing 1.6 million paid staff. One of NCVO’s findings is that voluntary effort is not evenly or fairly spread, with more than three times as many charities and voluntary organisations in well-to-do parts of Dorset than in struggling northern areas.
Our readers can find the data, in a highly usable format, on the Guardian’s Data Blog by clicking here.
