The Road to the Compact The English Experience

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The Road to the CompactThe English Experience

• Nolan Quigley, NCVO European and International
  Officer
• Nolan.Quigley_at_ncvo-vol.org.uk

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The NGO Sector in the UK Setting the context

• Long Tradition of Charity Roots in Religious
  Upheavals in 16th Century
• Public support for charity remains strong New
  ways to give money are developing.
• Influence over government policy is growing.
  Strong Campaigning tradition.
• Increasingly delivering public services
  creating some challenges for the independence of
  the sector.

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Some Key Figures

• 500 000 voluntary organisations (169,000
  charity status)
• Total income of 26.3 billion (39.3b) ( 38 from
  government sources.)
• Operating expenditure of 20.4 billion ( 30.5b)
• Net assets of 70.1 billion (102b)
• 608,000 paid employees
• Over 3 million volunteers, 1 million trustees
• 27 of the population volunteers every month
• A contribution of 7.2 billion ( 10.5b) to UK
  Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
• Average monthly donation per person was 12.93
  (18.80)
• Average proportion of the population giving in
  any one month was 67.3

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What is NCVO?

• The National Council for Voluntary Organisations

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Some Basic Facts about NCVO

• Established in 1919
• England wide remit
• 4900 member organisations
• c. 120 staff
• c. 5million ( 7.27million) annual turnover

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How is NCVO Financed?
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What NCVO does

• Conferences, seminars, regional events
• Networks and forums
• Newsletters and publications
• Website briefings
• Helpdesk
• Pilots and new ways of working
• Campaigning, advocacy and lobbying
• EU and international work

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The Road to a Compact
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A brief background to the Compact

• An agreement between government and the NGO
  sector
• The national Compact was launched in 1998
• The Compact has 5 codes of practice
• They give NGOs enforceable rights like 12 week
  consultation periods and full cost recovery.
• Government formally recognises NGO independence
  and right to campaign without risking its funding
• It has improved the relations between NGOs and
  national government and with local public bodies
• 3 in 4 areas have a Local Compact

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5 Compact Codes of Practice

• Funding
• Consultation
• Volunteering
• Black and Minority Ethnic groups
• Community organisations
• Local Compacts

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The Compact Process and Timescale

• Voluntary sector
• September 1997 - conference of umbrella bodies
  establishes Compact Working Group
• October 1997 - 1st draft memorandum
• November 1997 - 5 month consultation with sector
• December 1997 - engagement with Government

• Government
• November 1997 - Home Office took the lead
• Early 1998 - Ministerial Working Group
  established
• December 1997 Engagement with voluntary and
  community sector
• February 1998 - cross Governmental consultation

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Strengths of the Compact

• Independence of voluntary sector
• Not legally binding (changing culture)
• Compact as set of rights (and responsibilities)
• Annual meeting with ministers
• Some senior backing within Government

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Weaknesses of the Compact

• Not legally binding
• Competing policies/attitudes in government
• Little cost if not implemented
• Limited use by voluntary organisations not a
  usable document
• The solution? Compact Advocacy Programme

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Key Learning from the Compact Process 1

• Agreement across the voluntary sector as to what
  it wanted from a relationship with government
• Recognition that both parties could gain from the
  process - the development of a win win
  situation which in this case was achieved through
  the identification of shared principles and
  values
• Acceptance that such a process required support
  from all concerned and could not be just top down
  - widespread and open consultation was important

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Key Learning from the Compact Process 2

• Sponsorship of the process at a high level in
  government
• Understanding of the limitations that both sides
  faced
• Ensuring that the outcomes could be measurable
• Each piece of research carried out revealed a
  clear need for Compacts to be closely monitored
  and scrutinised in order to ensure Compacts were
  being implemented
• The establishment of a full two-way relationship,
  with obligations on the sector as well as on
  government

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Improvements to the Compact
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Giving The Compact TEETH !!
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NCVOs Compact Advocacy Programme

• Run by the sector for the sector - acts as the
  voice of sector
• Supporting organisations in using the Compact to
  improve their relationship with local and central
  government
• Barings Foundation and Big Lottery Funding
• Outcomes included, over turning funding
  decisions, extending consultation periods,
  assurances of better future working.
• Department for Culture Media and Sport
  departmental review

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Compact Advocacy Programme

• Examples of Successes
• 17 million (25m) secured for NGO sector after
  Department of Health ( Health Ministry)
  threatened to make cuts in National Health
  Service (NHS) budget which would impact on NGOs
  delivering vital services.
• Department for International Development
  consultation on Conflict White Paper extended to
  full 12 weeks. ( From 6 weeks)
• Volunteers on Public Benefits provided with lunch
  ( A scheme organised by the State argued that
  lunch should be paid by volunteers.)

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COMPACT PlusStrengthening Partnerships
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Where did Compact come from?

• March 2005- Home Office ( Interior Ministry)
  launched consultation on their own proposals
  including a Commissioner to enforce Compact
  compliance a small set of funding focused
  commitments an accreditation scheme

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Where are we now?

• John Stoker appointed as Compact Commissioner to
  champion the Compact.
• New Compact Office in Birmingham
• NCVOs Compact Advocacy work continues

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Road Towards a European Concordat

• NCVO Proposal for a Compact-style agreement for
  the EU Institutions and NGOs.

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Why do we need a Concordat ?

• A complex relationship between civil society and
  the European Commission
• Not just consultation, not just funding.
• No all-encompassing memorandum of understanding
  exists.
• Different expectations of the relationship.
• Lack of faith in the Minimum Standards of
  Consultation.

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..why do we need a Concordat?

• Many non-Brussels based NGOs feel excluded from
  consultations and structures.
• Different attitudes in different parts of the
  European Commission to dialogue and communication
  with civil society.

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Some Key Principles Undertakings

• Independence to campaign irrespective of funding.
• Consultation on all policy over 12 weeks minimum
  period.
• Communication rules to be put in place (regarding
  letters emails etc)
• Strong scrutiny and evaluation European
  Parliament to play a role.
• Transparency and Accountability of the Civil
  society organisations

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• Labai
• dekui !

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Some Useful Websites

• www.ncvo-vol.org.uk
• www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/compactadvocacy
• www.charity-commission.gov.uk
• www.thecompact.org.uk
• www.scvo.org.uk
• www.wcva.org.uk
• www.nicva.org