The History of the Compact

1998 to 2008 - The first 10 years

Time / line / Event / activity
1996 / July / The Deakin Commission Report on the Future of the Voluntary
Sector recommends that the Government should recognise the legitimacy of the Voluntary and Community Sector’s diverse roles and its own responsibility to promote a healthy sector. It proposes a ‘concordat’ drawn up between representatives of the Government and the sector, laying down basic principles for future relations.
1997 / February / The Labour Party publishes its policy document on theVoluntary Sector entitled Building the Future Together. This concludes that a Compact, underpinned by a set of principles, is necessary as the basis for a partnership between government and the voluntary and community sector.
July / A conference of leading Sector Umbrella Bodies backs the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and its proposal for a Compact Working Group on Government Relations (now known as Compact Voice).
October to Feb 1998 / Consultation on the Compact takes place involving 25,000 organisations.
1998 / November / The National Compact is agreed and signed. It is theWorld’s first Compact and attracts interest from 25 nations.
1999 / April / Dorset is the world’s first Local Compact.
July / The Compact Working Group Secretariat is set up to support five new sub-groups set up between the sector and government to develop and consult on draft codes of good practice.
2000 / May / The first Compact Annual Meeting with Ministers takes place.
The Funding Code (revised in 2005 as the Funding and Procurement Code) and the Consultation and Policy Appraisal Code are published and launched at this meeting.
July / Local Compact Guidelines are published.
Time / line / Event / activity
2001 / February / The Black and Minority Ethnic Groups Code is published.
October / The second Compact Annual Meeting with Ministers takes place. The Volunteering Code is published (revised in 2005) and launched at this meeting.
2002 / Grade 3 Champions for the Third Sector are established in Government Departments across Whitehall, encouraging partnership working with the sector in their departments. They are supported by Third Sector Liaison Officers (TSLOs).
April / Findings are published from the Carrington Report on thechallenge of Compact implementation, giving an evaluation of progress between the Government and the Voluntary and Community Sector. This recommends continuation of the Compact Project.
The third Annual Meeting with Ministers takes place.
September / Treasury cross cutting review calls for full Compact implementation. A second term of funding is approved for the Compact Project.
2003 / January / NCVO launches the Compact Advocacy Programme (CAP),with the remit of identifying actual or potential breaches of the Compact, representing the Voluntary and Community sector to help resolve Compact disputes.
March / There is extensive development of Local Compacts; by this time there are now over 100 Local Compacts.
The Local Compact Developers Network (now known as Local Compact Voice) is launched.
The Compact Mediation Scheme, run by the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR Solve), starts.
The Compact website is launched.
April / The fourth Annual Meeting with Ministers takes place. This sets a 31 March 2004 deadline for all Local Authority areas to be working towards being covered by a Compact.
Introduction of the Compact Annual Meeting Commendations.
National Compact BME conference attended by 200 people.
July / The Community Groups Codeis published.
August / The first five Compact Code Champions are appointed.
November / The first Compact Week takes place.
Time / line / Event / activity
2004 / April / The fifth Annual Meeting with Ministers takes place. Thismeeting recommends that all Local Authority areas are required to have a published Local Compact by April 2005.
2004 Compact Annual Meeting Commendations.
November / Compact Week 2004 takes place.
2005 / Spring / Government consultation takes place and the findings arepublished in the Strengthening Partnerships: Next Steps for Compactreport. This recommends a Compact Plus scheme for both public sector bodies and voluntary organisations, promoting the use of a Compact Plus kitemark. Another recommendation is the creation of a figurehead for the Compact and an organisation devoted to overseeing the relationship between public and voluntary sectors, to take the Compact forward.
November / The sixth Annual Meeting with Ministers takes place (later in the year due to the General Election).
2005 Compact Annual Meeting Commendations.
Compact Week 2005 takes place.
2006 / March / Publication of the Local Compact Implementation Workbook.
August / John Stoker is appointed as the first Commissioner for the Compact.
November / The seventh Annual Meeting with Ministers takes place.
2006 Compact Annual Meeting Commendations.
Compact Week 2006 takes place.
2007 / April / TheCommission for the Compact is launched.
The Compact Working Group Secretariat is renamed Compact Voice, with its staff now working alongside the Compact Advocacy Programme. The Local Compact Developers Network is renamed as Local Compact Voice.
Branding based on the Compact identity is applied to the Commission for the Compact and Compact Voice, to show the close relationship between the organisations.
July / The First Sector Independence Day takes place.
November / Compact Week 2007 takes place.
Time / line / Event / activity
2007 / December / Figures released by the Compact Advocacy Programme, which represents the voluntary and community sector to help resolve Compact disputes, show that it dealt with 30 national cases and 50 local cases in 2006/07, involving more than £3 million.
The eighth Annual Meeting with Ministers takes place.
2007 Compact Annual Meeting Commendations.
2008 / February / Simon Blake is appointed as Chair of Compact Voice.
March / Sir Bert Massie CBE is appointed as Commissioner for the Compact.
The Government pledges funding of £6 million to the Commission for the Compact and nearly £1 million to Compact Voice over the next three years.
April / The First Local Compacts Annual Conference is attended by 100 people.
2008 marks the 10th anniversary of the Compact.
All but 11 local authority areas are now covered by a Local Compact, with the remainder working towards publishing one. Local Compacts are now typically linked to Local Strategic Partnerships with all public bodies signed up.
There are now approximately 400 Local Compact Champions.
Over 80 Compact Commendations have been awarded over the last five years.