By Jay Kennedy, DSC’s Director of Policy and Research
After a challenging few years, the Labour government is interested in ‘resetting the relationship’ between government and civil society. This has taken the form of something called a ‘Covenant’, which would be a shared set of principles that both sides would agree to adhere to.
In some ways the Covenant idea is similar to the ‘Compact’, which was an agreement between the previous Labour government and civil society in the early part of the millennium. It fell out of use during the period after 2010, though local compacts still exist in some places.
The draft Covenant principles reflect many of the same themes as the previous Compact. In the current draft version, there are four overarching principles with various supporting statements underneath: Recognition, Partnership, Participation and Transparency. For example, ‘Recognition’, includes the point that government needs to recognise the independence of civil society organisations and their right to speak out and campaign in support of their purposes and those they serve.
The civil society policy brief sits within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy MP is keen on the Covenant idea. She and the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer launched a consultation on the Covenant a few weeks ago.
NCVO is leading the consultation on the Covenant, which lasts until 12 December – that’s less than a month away. You can review and comment on the draft principles via an online form, and there are a series of online workshops you can attend over the coming weeks – these dates are approaching fast so book your place soon! NCVO particularly want to hear from smaller organisations and those representing marginalised groups.
We expect that after the consultation feedback is analysed and discussed with government, a final version of the Covenant will be launched at some point early in the new year. So don’t miss your chance to influence something that could underpin a more constructive working relationship with government over years to come – get your response in today!