Members of the Scottish parliament have backed the devolved government’s plans to introduce a new partnership agreement with the charity sector.
In February, the Scottish government revealed its plans for the agreement, which it said would focus on “fairer funding”, shared goals to improve outcomes for people and communities, and greater opportunities for charities to contribute to policy and service design.
Elections to the Scottish parliament were held last month and this week MSPs voiced their support for the agreement plans to come to fruition.
Discussing the plans in Holyrood on Tuesday, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said work was “at an early stage” but that key themes has been identified.
She said the themes included developing a “partnership of equals”, whereby charities “actively inform and shape” Scottish government policy.
Somerville said the government would also look at improving the sector’s financial sustainability, noting that fiscal pressures were a “key driver of instability” among charities.
“However, we must bear in mind that the Scottish government does not receive multi-year funding and that providing multi-year grants for any organisation, including those in the third sector, takes away flexibility within the remainder of budgets,” she added.
At the close of the debate, 78 MSPs voted in favour of Somerville’s motion on strengthening Scotland’s partnership with the third sector, with 26 against.
SCVO welcomes vote
Scottish charity membership body SCVO welcomed the parliamentary backing, which it said was an “important first step” towards ensuring charities are involved in public bodies’ planning, decision‑making and delivery.
“We welcome the cross‑party support for a new, formalised relationship with the voluntary sector, alongside a focus on improving the funding environment, delivering shared outcomes, and strengthening the sector’s voice in policy and service design,” said David Livey, SCVO policy and research manager.
“We also welcome MSPs’ strong endorsement of sector’s independence. A healthy democracy, well‑supported communities and good policymaking all depend on the strong, independent voice that the voluntary sector provides.
“We particularly welcome the commitment to co‑design the agreement with the sector, and to ensure it is inclusive of the full diversity of organisations across Scotland. That approach will be key to building a partnership that is meaningful and able to stand the test of time.”
