The Westminster City Partnership has ended ten years of partnership with the voluntary sector, by voting to relegate voluntary and community representatives to a powerless advisory role, with no voting rights.

Following the vote, voluntary sector representatives Drew Stevenson, Jackie Rosenberg and Bernard Collier walked out of the meeting.

After the meeting, Bernard Collier, Chief Executive of Voluntary Action Westminster said: “It’s hard to see the logic behind this decision, which ends ten years of partnership working with Westminster’s voluntary and community sector. It’s a u-turn in terms of local policy – and flies in the face of the policies of all three main political parties. We’re deeply unhappy with this decision.”

The decision comes shortly after the decision to cut £500,000 from the voluntary sector grants budget.

“Since the vote last week, we have been talking to local statutory partners in the hope of finding a way to revive the spirit of partnership working that has been characteristic of the Westminster approach in recent years,” said Bernard Collier.