Last week, in my column, I wrote about the letter that I and my colleagues in the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and the National Association of Voluntary and Community Action sent to council chief executives, reminding them of the importance of following the Best Value Statutory Guidance when preparing their spending plans for 2012-13.

This week, I'm delighted to say I've received a number of promising responses. For example, the CEO of Stockton-on-Tees, Neil Schneider, writes that the council has established an annual investment fund, including a loan element, so that the local third sector can bid for capacity-building and sustainability projects.