This week, Chuka spoke at the annual Campaigns Conference of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).

He also took part in a panel discussion on the upcoming general election and its impact on the community and voluntary sector chaired by Liz Atkins, the NCVO’s Director of Public Policy, alongside Oliver Letwin MP and Danny Alexander MP.

Having been active in the third sector as a trustee of youth charities including the 409 Project, the Anthony Bourne Foundation and the Generation Next Foundation, Chuka told the audience how Streatham has one of the most densely populated community and voluntary sectors in the country.

Emphasising the importance of the upcoming general election, Chuka described it as a choice between very different approaches to the economy, society and the third sector.

He praised voluntary organisations’ ability to help “groups which the state, local authorities and statutory bodies often have difficulty in reaching”.

In his speech, Chuka also questioned purely monetary measures of happiness and also took issue with the Tories’ ‘broken society’ rhetoric.

He said: “I have serious problems with the ‘Broken Britain’ mantra, which feeds into the negative images of young people portrayed by the media.

“David Cameron’s talk of ‘Broken Britain’ is part of a broken political strategy.”

The NCVO is an umbrella body and advocate for the community and voluntary sector. First set up in 1919, it has more than 7,000 members.

To find out more about the NCVO and its work, follow this link.