Phil Hope has been appointed as minister for the third sector, replacing Ed Miliband who was last week promoted to his first cabinet-level post under new Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Hope, MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire, is a former youth policy advisor at the NCVO, and has chaired the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Voluntary Sector.

Speaking on his appointment, Hope said it was an honour to be asked to serve in Brown’s government and that he was excited by the role he had been asked to undertake.

”The third sector plays a critical role alongside the public and private sectors to build economic success, create social justice and develop stronger communities,” he said. “I hope I can bring firsthand experience to the job of promoting voluntary and community groups and creating successful social enterprises.”

The appointment of a minister with experience of the VCS will appease the sector, which had feared a year of close work with Miliband could be all but lost on his promotion to secretary for the Cabinet Office. “I am sure that Mr Hope will follow well in the footsteps of his predecessor Ed Miliband who has contributed so much to the sector,” said Stephen Bubb, chief executive of Acevo. “I look forward to working with Mr Hope to deliver on the pledges that have been made, especially in the Third Sector Action Plan.”

Brown has also appointed two high-level advisors to the sector. Former home secretary David Blunkett is to contribute to the next Labour Party manifesto on the voluntary sector, while Baroness Julia Neuberger, chair of the Commission for the Future of Volunteering, is now the Prime Minister’s special advisor on volunteering.

“David Blunkett’s appointment is very good news for the sector. He has a wealth of experience of the issues facing charities, voluntary and community groups and is ideally placed to develop the Labour Party’s future thinking in this area,” said NCVO chief executive Stuart Etherington. “With speculation about a possible general election in the next 12 months, NCVO will be working with all parties to ensure that the sector is at the heart of their manifestos.”

Justin Davis-Smith, deputy chief executive of Volunteering England, welcomed Baroness Neuberger’s new role. “I am confident she will ensure that volunteering is championed at the highest level of government and will remain a key strategic theme in all sector initiatives.”