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Refreshed Compact is launched

Governance | Vibeka Mair | 16 Dec 2009

The refreshed Compact, outlining commitments for a working partnership between government and the voluntary sector, has launched today following a storm of controversy on the government's recent breach of Compact guidelines.

The document has been cut from 160 pages to 22. Instead of covering five codes of practice it is divided into three key areas covering involvement in policy development, allocating resources and advancing equality. It has 95 commitments: 62 for government and 33 for the voluntary sector.

Key changes to the new Compact include a wider focus on involving the voluntary sector in policy development.

It also includes new commitments for government to extend the scope of the Compact to ensure that prime and sub-contractors and all other public and private bodies work within the Compact principles when distributing money and engage early with voluntary sector organisations in the design of services and programmes.

Government is also now committed to allowing enough time for consortia and partnership bids; applying the Compact when distributing EU funding; making payments within ten days of invoices being received and considering how service users can be involved in monitoring and reporting.

The new Compact also has a section on equality rather than a black and minority ethnic focus.

Sector leaders welcomed the document, despite recent outrage at the government’s decision to scrap the campaigning fund and transfer the money to the recession fund, breaking Compact guidelines.

However, Kevin Curley, chief executive of NAVCA warned: "It's vital that we refresh local Compacts all over England and reassert their importance.  In some areas they have been signed by the council and the PCT but the promises made have then been forgotten. 

"In other areas they have framed the local sector's involvement in the Local Strategic Partnership and the Local Area Agreement and helped to drive improvements in consultation and funding practices. We must use the new Compact to bring relationships in the worst areas up to the level of the best."

Sir Bert Massie CBE (pictured), commissioner for the Compact, said: “The process of refreshing the Compact has been challenging – the process of reconciling often diverse points of view is never easy – but it demonstrates to me the importance of this agreement because it is the result of so much animated and positive discussion.

“The Compact places a grater emphasis on government and public bodies to explain and justify the decisions they make. It reaffirms the independence of third sector organisations and their right to campaign and comment on government policy.”

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Directory: Commission for the Compact | National Association of Voluntary and Community Action