Home › About Compact ›

Compact Q&A

Click on a frequently asked question about the Compact to jump to the answer.

We also have some more specific policy-related Q&As about the Compact in our 'CV Says' section.

arrowWhat is the Compact?

The Compact (PDF 286KB) is an agreement between the Government and the voluntary sector in England, first made in November 1998, which aims to improve the working relationship between the two sectors for mutual advantage. The Compact was refreshed in December 2009 and subsequently renewed in 2010. All local areas in England are covered by a local or regional variation of the Compact, developed by local partners.

 arrowHow was it written?

The 1996 Deakin report recommended putting this relationship on paper; this led to a Compact Working Group being set up, with representatives from leading voluntary sector umbrella bodies, community groups, volunteering organisations and Black and Minority Ethnic organisations. The group consulted over 25,000 organisations about what the Compact should include and the text was agreed in 1998.

arrowWho promotes and supports the Compact?

  • Compact Voice: helps the voluntary sector get the most out of the Compact, offering practical help getting it working and giving voice to the sector's views to national government, local government and other stakeholders.
  • Office of Civil Society: based at the Cabinet Office, the Office for Civil Society leads on Compact work across government

arrowIs it legally binding?

No, although failure to meet Compact commitments can form part of judicial review cases, particularly where there is a "legitimate expectation" for these to be met, funding to continue and so on.

arrowWhat can I do if government isn't complying?

The Compact Accountability and Transparency Guide (PDF 208KB) outlines steps to take at national and local level, including dispute resolution, internal complaints procedures and ombudsmen functions.

The Public Law Project offers free support and legal advice for voluntary organisations in cases where a public body has breached public law.

arrowWhat happened to the Commission for the Compact?

The Commission for the Compact has closed, and responsibility for oversight of the Compact is now shared between the Office for Civil Society and Compact Voice. 

The Commission was established in April 2007 and closed down at the end of March 2011. During its existence, the Commissioner for the Compact was Sir Bert Massie and the Commission’s chief executive was Richard Corden. The Commission was a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Office of the Third Sector.
 

Submitted on 31st January 2012 at 12:21
Tweets by @compactvoice

Blogs

The Lobbying Act – Where are we now, and what’s next for voluntary organisations?

The Lobbying Act (officially the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act) finally concluded this January after an eventful journey through Parliament.
 
Here we provide a bit of background into the Act, to accompany a new short briefing we’ve produced. The briefing is aimed at people who may not work in a policy role, but are concerned as to whether their organisation may be affected by the Act.

  

  

    

      
Helping you make the most of your consultation responses

  

	
At Compact Voice, we talk a lot about what departments can do to engage better with the voluntary sector. However, there isn’t much in the way of guidance for voluntary organisations on how they can effectively and efficiently respond to consultations.