Renewed Compact to launch in November

Finance | Vibeka Mair | 21 Sep 2010

A renewed draft Compact has been launched today to fit the approach of the new coalition government and complement the Comprehensive Spending Review in October 2010.

The draft, which is on the Compact Voice website, will be under consultation for six weeks and expects to be officially launched in November.

It will aim to have more effective accountability, be relevant across government key policy initiatives, particularly the Big Society, and have the ability to address the major challenges faced by the sector, such as spending cuts and a high volume of new policy initiatives.

It has been slimmed down from 95 key principles to 37 in a bid to ensure it is easier to adhere to.

Compact Voice will seek views from the voluntary sector, while the Office for Civil Society will represent the public sector.

It will be the third version of the Compact, which was refreshed only last year after ten years of the same document.

The Commission for the Compact will comment "without fear or favour" on the suitability of the new document. Chief executive Richard Corden said it would look at whether the new provisions are implementable and whether civil servants are likely to follow it; whether their efforts to meet their obligations can be measured, and whether the new content is in the best interests of government/voluntary sector relations.

Chair of Compact Voice, Simon Blake (pictured), said: “Compact Voice is working with government to ensure the renewed Compact and the associated accountability measures will provide the ‘teeth’ the voluntary and community sector has been asking for, especially at this critical time. I am fully aware that the Compact was refreshed only last year, however we appreciate that a new government with a new agenda wants to ensure the Compact fits with their approach.

"This is an important opportunity for the sector to ensure the accountability that has long been called for becomes a reality. At this stage we want to engage the whole sector’s views on the renewed Compact; and as negotiations about accountability measures progress we will of course discuss these also, before agreeing to the finalised Compact.“

More information, including questions and answers and a full statement from Simon Blake, chair of Compact Voice, is available online at www.compactvoice.org.uk/renewal.

Directory: Commission for the Compact

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