Civil Society Covenant

On 21 July, Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, launched the Civil Society Covenant. By civil society, the document is intended to cover “charities, not-for-profit organisations, volunteer-led initiatives, social enterprises, campaign groups and grass roots organisations”. In her introduction, Nandy states that:

“We believe civil society has a powerful voice that must be heard in the rooms where decisions are made and that it is only by working together that we will build a self-confident nation where everybody’s contribution is seen and valued, and all people have the chance to live the richer, larger and dignified lives that they deserve.”

The Covenant aims to establish a new model of partnership between civil society and government. It also intends to create an environment in which civil society is “respected, supported and listened to by government, both when working in partnership with civil society and independently, when civil society is holding government to account.” It sets out a series of principles that apply both to central and local government. Among the principles, the Government commits to

• Recognising the value of civil society’s economic and social contributions, including the inherent social value civil society organisations bring, and their ability to build cohesive, inclusive communities. 
• Listening to and respects civil society’s varied expertise in the course of policy and service design, including trusted relationships, deep knowledge about what works, community leadership and building, social business, and service delivery.
• Recognising the responsibility of civil society to speak out and hold government to account where that supports a civil society organisation to achieve their mission.
• Not treating civil society organisations which have expressed disagreement with government policies any less favourably by excluding them from policy discussions or funding opportunities.

All this sounds fine and dandy. How much it will change policy and practice in Government remains to be seen.