The government has pledged to “increase transparency in central and local government spending on the voluntary sector” but has not yet set out exactly how it will do so.

Minister for civil society Nick Hurd tweeted this morning: “Pleased to meet with reps of #acevo #bigsociety commission. We have already accepted some recommendations; incl transparency of VCS spend.”

Shortly afterward Acevo issued a statement explaining that the minister made the pledge at a meeting yesterday with Sir Stephen Bubb, Acevo chief executive, Lord Rennard, chair of the Acevo Commission, and Commission members Dame Clare Tickell, Nick Boles MP and Lord Boateng.

Hurd was responding to the Acevo Commission’s report on Big Society, which called for the government to require local councils to publish their spending on the voluntary sector. He said: “Their report was constructive and we have already accepted some recommendations such as the need for greater transparency in public spending for the voluntary sector.”

However, he did not provide details of how this greater transparency would manifest itself, but told the Commission that the government would respond formally to the report shortly.