Developing a local Compact for the City’s voluntary sector

The City Together (TCT) is committed through its Community Strategy, A Vision for a World Class City, to enhancing the role and capacity of the City’s voluntary and community sector (VCS), or ‘third sector’.

Building on the achievements made since 2004, including the funding of the City’s new City.comm, TCT have committed to developing a local Compact for the City.

A Compact provides a framework for partnership working between a local authority, other public sector agencies, and the VCS. It recognises the contribution the VCS makes to society, and sets out what local government, its partners and the VCS can expect from one another.

Compacts lay down a set of principles or values governing the way local partners will work together, and the commitments that are made to promote positive engagement and working relations across the sectors. Objectives typically include:

  • Promoting equality and strengthening voluntary activity in a local area.
  • Recognising and supporting the vital and unique role the voluntary and community groups play in the lives of residents (and in the case of the City of London, City workers).
  • Giving the VCS, and the communities they represent, a real voice in decision and policy making, and service delivery.
  • Developing a consistent approach to the funding of local voluntary and community organisations.
  • Assisting local public, voluntary and private sector organisations to develop meaningful partnership arrangements.
  • Encouraging effective ways of joint working.
  • Putting into place a robust and trustworthy mediation process to sort out disagreements if anything were to go wrong.

The City’s Compact is being developed in consultation with the VCS, and the following bodies will be invited to sign it:

  • Barts and the London Foundation Trust
  • City.comm (the City’s Council for Voluntary Service)
  • City of London Corporation
  • City of London Police
  • City and Hackney Teaching Primary Care Trust
  • East London and City Mental Health Trust

The draft Compact is out for consultation from October until 11 November 2007, and will be launched in March/April 2008. It will be fully aligned to the City’s Community Strategy, which is currently under review and will be re-published in April 2008. We welcome your comments and views on the draft Compact.

For more information e-mail community.strategy@cityoflondon.gov.uk or telephone 020 7332 1411.