The Bedfordshire PCC, John Tizard, hosted a commissioning and grant workshop, with partner organisations including local authorities, the voluntary sector, the probation service, NHS and community organisations. 

The PCC launched his grants and commissioning strategy last October. He is committed to co-commissioning and joint grant making wherever possible and where this is in the public interest. 

He is committed to using his grant and commissioning budgets to focus on crime prevention, supporting victims especially women and children, and to fund advocacy services and support local voluntary and community organisations to grow their resilience and develop new initiatives.  He is committed to using the funds to draw on the expertise, experience and enthusiasm of local voluntary and community, and charitable groups. 

During the workshop, participants from across Bedfordshire shared valuable insights on how to enhance the design and delivery of local services. Discussions centred on improving the accessibility, coordination, and effectiveness of support pathways—ensuring that individuals who rely on these services experience a more seamless and supportive journey. 

It also explored how partners could align their commissioning and grants strategies and operations to benefit local communities. 

John Tizard, Police and Crime Commissioner for Bedfordshire said:  

“The commissioning workshop marked a crucial step towards creating the conditions for a more effective co-ordinated support for local Bedfordshire statutory providers, charities, voluntary and community groups. We need to move away from traditional bureaucratic procurement processes and replace these with relational grant aid wherever possible. 

“I believe in treating our voluntary and community sector as trusted partners. Their insight is essential to designing services that truly reflect the needs of our residents — and that’s what today was all about: listening, connecting, and co-owning the solutions. I look forward to building on this momentum together. I want us all to codesign services and grant strategies with local voluntary and community groups.  

“As all public bodies have limited funds and serve the same communities, pooling budgets, aligning commissioning and adopting shared grant programmes makes much sense. 

“Ultimately this is about sweeping away organisational barriers to maximise our support for communities. Working together is better than working apart.”