The Bedfordshire and Luton Compact is the agreement between local statutory organisations and the voluntary and community sector to improve and develop their relationships for the benefit of the communities they serve.

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The original Bedfordshire and Luton Compact was agreed in 2001, since when the landscape for both local public bodies and the voluntary and community sector has changed dramatically.

This new Compact is more concise and is based on The Compact on Relations between the Government and the Third Sector in England (December 2009) and the revised Compact published by the Coalition Government (December 2010).

A New Compact for Bedfordshire and Luton

Local government re-organisation; the creation of new partnerships; the introduction of new legislation that places a duty on statutory bodies to inform, consult and involve representatives of local communities (including voluntary and community organisations) and work around National Indicator 7 on an environment for a thriving third sector have all contributed to a review of the current Code of Good Practice on Consultation and Partnerships.  

December 2009 saw the launch of a new national Compact on relations between the government and the third sector in England.  The Bedfordshire and Luton compact Development Group considered the new national Compact at its meeting in late February.  It was noted it was shorter, more relevant and user-friendly than the old national Compact.  The new national Compact has also moved away from having separate codes of practice, whereas the existing Bedfordshire and Luton Compact which was agreed in 2002 has four codes of good practice in addition to the main Compact document.

The Compact Development Group agreed that in light of the new national Compact, a revised Bedfordshire and Luton Compact should be produced.  The following principles were agreed:

• the new Bedfordshire and Luton Compact should be developed using the new national Compact as a template
• there should be no separate local codes, as the main sections of the new Compact should pick up the most important issues
• the new local Compact should be as short as possible, improving on the conciseness of the new national Compact where possible.

Next Steps

Three sub-groups met to each consider a section of the new Compact, using the sections in the national Compact as a template.  The sub-groups will be reporting back to a meeting of the Compact Development Group on Monday 24 May 2010, when a draft code will be considered and discussed.  If you would like to receive details of this meeting, then please email jan@yourccvs.org

What is the Compact?
The Bedfordshire and Luton Compact is a working document aimed at developing a close, efficient and more effective equal working partnership between local voluntary and community organisations and public sector organisations.

The Codes of Good Practice

As part of developing the Bedfordshire and Luton Compact further, the Voluntary, Community and Public Sectors have worked together to develop its effectiveness by producing Codes of Good Practice (relating to Funding & Procurement, Volunteering, Consultation & Partnership and Equality & Diversity). In addition a Mediation Policy has been developed to resolve any disputes between the sectors.

Let's Get it Right Together!
The primary purpose of our local Bedfordshire and Luton Compact Development Group is to encourage good practice and promote positive relationships between voluntary and community organisations and the statutory sector in Bedfordshire and Luton, within the spirit of the Compact framework.

What’s in it for my Organisation

Voluntary and Community Organisations

• A definition of partnership which goes beyond funding and includes a whole range of voluntary and community organisations - large and small - and not just those funded by public bodies
• Transparent arrangements for agreeing and evaluating objectives
• Consultation on changes to funding positions
• Recognition of the importance of infrastructure in order to develop services
• Consultation, within reasonable timescale's, on issues that are likely to affect you. For example, the delivery of statutory services.

Public Sector Organisations

• A definition of partnership which goes beyond funding and includes a whole range of voluntary and community organisations - large and small - and not just those funded by public bodies
• Maintain high standards of governance: conduct and meet reporting accountability obligations
• Partners will develop recognised standards appropriate to the role and resources of the organisation
• Partners will build strong relationships based on mutual respect and understanding
• Effective partnership to deliver high quality, reliable statutory services and improve services in local communities in line with Best Value
• Help in policy development, planning and delivery.

For further information on the Compact, its Codes of Practice, or a discussion of how the Compact can benefit your organisation or agency contact Helen Nottingham on 01525 850559, partnerships@action-centralbedfordshire.org.uk