The London Voluntary Service Council was the collaborative leader of

Greater London Greater London is an administrative area in England, coterminous with the London region, containing most of the continuous urban area of London. It contains 33 local government districts: the 32 London boroughs, which form a Ceremonial count ...

’s voluntary and community sector, supporting some 60,000 voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations. It is a registered charity number 276886.

History

In 1907 the Council of Social Service was founded by social reformer

Thomas Hancock Nunn Thomas Hancock Nunn (1859-1937) was an English social reformer. He was born on 14 March 1859 in London and admitted to Christ's College, Cambridge in 1880 with no scholarship. He received his B.A. in 1884 and his M.A. in 1904. He was also known as ...

. In 1910 the Social Welfare Association for London was inaugurated with support from the

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

Sir John Knill and the Chairman of the

London County Council The London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today ...

Sir Melvill Beachcroft. Its aim was to ''"secure systematic co-operation between social, charitable and industrial undertakings throughout the metropolis, and the establishment of councils of social welfare in every metropolitan borough to give effect to these objects"''. In 1919 the Association changed its name to the London Council of Social Service (LCSS). This was an advice organisation that provided advice for local councils of social service and coordinated links between voluntary organisations and local authorities. From 1979 it has been known as the London Voluntary Service Council (LVSC). In 2007 its CEO was

Elizabeth Balgobin Elizabeth Balgobin (1964 or 1965 – 8 March 2024) was a British charity governance specialist, who held multiple senior roles in voluntary sector organisations throughout her career. She was chief executive officer of Blackliners, the UK's fi ...

. In 2013 it merged with

United Way Worldwide United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...

to become United Way London, but returned to its own branding in 2016. The LVSC entered voluntary liquidation on 31 October 2017. In the statement on the LVSC website, the charity's board said: "After 107 years supporting London's thousands of civil society organisations so they can meet the needs of our communities, LVSC has transferred its remaining functions over to GLV reater London Volunteeringin preparation for the establishment of a hub for London.

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
Advice organizations Charities based in London Social welfare charities based in the United Kingdom