The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the DCLG has reminded local authorities of their responsibility to support the voluntary sector in a letter to all local authority leaders.

In his letter, dated 29 January, Don Foster says that there continues to be councils "who appear to see the [voluntary] sector as an easy target when it comes to making necessary savings".

Pointing to the government's Best Value guidance of September 2011, which says local authorities should not disproportionately pass cuts on to the voluntary sector, he advised that this is statutory guidance and "therefore councils must have regard to it". 

In addition Foster warned of lapses in transparency by councils which have been unable to provide sufficient information on funding to the voluntary sector when asked:

"Transparency is the foundation of accountability and the taxpayer has a right to see how their money is spent locally," he said, adding "Councils should do all they can to ensure that they have the necessary systems in place to ensure funding information is collated in such a way that it can easily be scrutinised..." 

Foster's letter follows research by campaign group Compact Voice, which seeks to ensure that the Compact is implemented throughout all levels of government, which found that half of local authorities were making disproportionate cuts to the sector. 

Tom Elkins, Compact Voice manager welcomed Foster's action:

“Transparency is an important aspect for effective partnerships, and it is reassuring that the minister has reminded councils that they should do all they can to ensure that spending data is collected, as well as making sure available information can be easily understood.

"Working to principles agreed in local Compacts can help ensure that decisions made about local funding are undertaken more fairly, strategically, and transparently.”