Local Compacts: A User Guide
This User Guide, published in 2011, provides a comprehensive overview of local Compacts.
It provides practical guidance on:
- What a local Compact is and what areas they cover
- Compact groups, officers and champions
- How to communicate the Compact to different partners
- How to run an effective Compact event
- Action planning, monitoring and evaluating your local Compact
- Revising or Renewing your Compact
- Addressing non-compliance
There is also a useful Implementation Checklist.
The guide is available in individual sections covering the above topics or can be downloaded as a complete guide.
If you would like a printed copy of the Guide, please contact us - these are available free of charge to voluntary and community organisations (a fee of £5 per copy applies to bulk orders). The guide is available as individual sections within a folder.
If you would like the guide in a different format (large text or word document for use with screen readers), please contact Kelly Ventress.
Download the User Guide below.
- Resource Section
- Case Studies
- Commissioning improved at Bristol City Council
- Compact Advocacy case study: Reaching an understanding despite funding cuts
- Compact-compliant way of dealing with budget cuts in Calderdale
- Comparing local Compacts
- East Sussex: Measuring success
- Elected members take the lead in Shropshire
- Gateshead - a winning partnership
- Hertfordshire: Surviving a Compact stress-test
- Improved Procurement Processes at Essex County Council
- Kensington & Chelsea: Partnerships across borough boundaries
- Kent Fire and Rescue Service breathes new life into the Compact
- Lancashire United Against Hate - Advancing Equality
- Lewisham: bridging the gap
- Local Compacts at Work
- North Lincolnshire: Compact-proofed funding cuts
- Oldham: Embedding the Compact in a new Cooperative structure
- Stockton: Empowering the Voluntary and Community Sector
- Surrey: Honesty is the best policy
- Watford Borough Council: building VCS resilience in the context of cuts
- Wiltshire: integrating the Compact into local strategy
- Wolverhampton: One contract for the voluntary sector
- Publications
- Accountability & Transparency Guide
- Annual Local Compact Survey 2011: Results
- Better Together: Preparing for local spending cuts to the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector
- Central government's implementation of the national Compact
- Commissioning Guidance for Public Bodies
- Compact Advocacy Case Study: Challenging a county council funding decision
- Compact Implementation Guide for Community Groups
- Compact Voice Impact Report 2010
- Compact and Procurement Law
- Effective Dispute Resolution Tactics
- Ensuring Meaningful Engagement when Consulting
- Guide to finding your commissioner
- Guide to using FOI in Campaigning
- Impact Report 2009
- Independence Matters
- Independence report: Dancing to our own tune
- Lewisham Compact Code of Practice: Commissioning Guidelines
- Local Compacts: A User Guide
- Make procurement work for you by using your Compact
- Righting Public Law Wrongs: Challenge Unfairness
- The Renewed Compact
- What Makes A Successful Local Compact
- Working Better Together: Implementation Guide for Community Groups and Local Public Bodies
- Briefings and responses
- Background information on the Big Society
- Best Practice Guide for Local Authorities and the VCS
- Best Value Guidance: Compact Voice response
- Big Society and the Compact
- Briefing: Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman
- Briefing: Participatory Budgeting and the Compact
- Commission for the Compact's final report
- Compact Voice response to Government Equalities Office consultation
- Compact Voice response to NHS listening exercise
- Compact Voice response to Open Public Services White Paper
- Economic and Social Benefits of Applying the Compact
- Empowering the Voluntary Sector: Best Value Statutory Guidance briefing
- Guidance for Local (Parish and Town) Councils on the Compact
- Local Government Ombudsman - Compact briefing
- National Government and the Compact – recent developments
- Renewed Compact - Consultation Response
- The Compact & You: A Guide for the Black & Minority Ethnic Voluntary Sector
- The case for statutory sector support for local Compacts
- Tools
- Help with cuts
- Case Studies

