Councils prioritise voluntary sector - The Guardian 2nd July 2008

Almost half of England's biggest councils have officially staked part of their reputation on achieving a "thriving" local voluntary sector. Under new arrangements designed to make services more locally responsive and accountable, 1,200 government-imposed performance targets have been reduced to 198. Of those new targets, each council has been allowed to draw up a core list of 35 priority policy areas, known as local area agreements (LAAs).

Link to Article