Prime minister Keir Starmer attended the inaugural meeting of the Civil Society Council at Number 10 this week, in which a pledge was made to “unlock” procurement opportunities for the sector.
Mark Russell, chief executive of the Children’s Society, said the first meeting on Wednesday of the council, formed to oversee the Civil Society Covenant’s implementation, had come at an important time.
Posting to LinkedIn, Russell highlighted frustrations around procurement and commissioning across the sector, stating that the partnership would seek to address these challenges, among others.
“It was great to have the prime minister Keir Starmer join us and hear him say that civil society needs to be meaningfully brought into the heart of government,” Russell said.
“He was clear that partnership must be at the heart of this, where civil society and government come together to deliver better outcomes for the British people.”
Chris Ward, minister for procurement, set out plans to “unlock opportunities for civil society” and agreed at the meeting to work with voluntary organisations on revising the definition of social value in the procurement process.
The council is chaired by NCVO chief executive Kate Lee, who spoke at the event, and will meet quarterly in Downing Street.
Council could have wider representation, director says
The government published the Civil Society Covenant in June last year and established the council, which has 12 members, in March.
At an event earlier this week, Angela Lucas, director of area engagement and partnerships at criminal justice charity Clinks, expressed concern over the breadth of the council.
Lucas, speaking at the Westminster Social Policy Forum on Monday, said: “There is no criminal justice specific representation on the newly established civil society council.
“The Ministry of Justice has no dedicated departmental lead on the Civil Society Covenant. We know that other government departments have their leads, including the Home Office.”
Lucas added that charities working in the criminal justice system were “siloed” and said that the risk of those organisations becoming further isolated was “very apparent”.
In response, a government spokesperson said: “The prime minister has established a new Civil Society Council to renew the partnership between government and civil society and drive delivery of the Civil Society Covenant.
“Meeting at Number 10 for the first time today, it brings leading voices from the voluntary, community and social enterprise sectors into the heart of decision making to help tackle the country’s most complex challenges together – including in criminal justice.
“It takes a cross-Whitehall approach, bringing key voices around government together, and the Ministry of Justice has played a key role in developing and implementing the covenant, alongside other departments.”
A spokesperson for NCVO added: “The council includes a range of civil society representatives chosen for their breadth of experience as individuals, rather than as advocates for their current organisation.
“What really matters is that the council creates space for a wide range of voices to be heard at the heart of government.”
