News

Commission for Compact confident on future progress

Finance | Gareth Jones | 1 Oct 2007

Charities minister Phil Hope has held a meeting with sector umbrella groups and the Commission for the Compact to clarify what the role of the Commission should be in the future. Representatives from Compact Voice, a network of umbrella groups with interest in the Compact, including people from acevo, NCVO, NAVCA and Community Matters, attended the meeting, along with interim chief executive of the Commission for the Compact, Richard Corden, and new interim commissioner Helen Baker.

The Commission is at something of a crossroads in the wake of the sudden resignation earlier this month of Compact Commissioner John Stoker. His departure followed the exit just weeks earlier of the Commission’s chief executive Angela Sibson. The meeting is believed to have been called in order to set out a way forward for the Compact and in particular what the Commission’s role should be. One of the matters discussed was what key skills and competencies will be required in the people recruited to the roles of chair and chief executive.

At the time of Stoker’s exit, a spokesman for the Commission reiterated its commitment to continuing its work and identified “significant opportunities” to take the Compact forward.

These include preparation of the final business plan; implementation of the Compact action plan by Compact Voice, the Office of the Third Sector and the Commission, a report of which will be made at the Compact annual meeting in December; and the significant opportunities presented by recommendations for a review of the Compact contained in the Third Sector Review.

Despite the fact it took several months to appoint Stoker, who took up the position last October, th Commission is confident that a new commissioner will be appointed by the minister for the third sector by the end of the year. A spokesman said: “The role is more established since the first recruitment round with key relationships established, and the Commission itself is much more established now.” He continued: “Realistically, it’s very likely that a new commissioner will be appointed before a new CEO. I don’t have details on this as yet, but am assured that a recruitment drive will begin imminently.”

Writing to Phil Hope, minister for the third sector, Stoker said that he regretted his resignation and that creating the Commission was a wise step. “While both greater awareness and better compliance are needed, the Compact and codes provide a robust basis for future development of the relationship between the sectors.”

Tweet

Directory: Commission for the Compact | National Association of Voluntary and Community Action | National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) | Office of the Third Sector
Who's Who: Richard Corden