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Compact

The Compact is an agreement between Newcastle City Council and the voluntary and community sector in Newcastle. 

The Compact describes the relationship between Newcastle City Council and voluntary and community organisations in the city.  It is not a legally binding document.  The authority of the Compact comes from the fact that the City Council and the voluntary and community sector have made an agreement to work together in the way the Compact describes.

Newcastle City Council and Newcastle Council for Voluntary Service have worked together to develop the Compact.  It is based on the Compact between the national government and voluntary and community groups that was agreed in 1998.

Refreshed Newcastle Compact

The Compact Review Group has started the process of reviewing the Newcastle Compact in light of the recent national Compact refresh.  The draft Newcastle Compact is available here.  The Compact Review Group would like to hear what you think about the draft.  Does it meet the needs of the VCS or should the group be making any changes?

How you can respond

Please send your responses by 30 June 2010 to NCVS’s chief executive by email or post to NCVS, MEA House, Ellison Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8XS.

The Compact and codes of practice

Codes of Practice have been developed to give more detail about the practical arrangements which the Compact requires.  Codes of practice currently exist on the subjects of funding, resolving disagreements, consultation and liaison, and volunteering.

Click on the links below to open the documents. 

Compact (95kb)

Funding Code of Practice (184kb)

How it works and how to deal with disagreements (85kb)

Consultation and Liaison Code of Practice (161kb)

Volunteering Code of Practice (192kb)

"Debating the future of the Compact"

The Commission for the Compact has issued a discussion paper on issues around the future of the Compact, the chief of which is the matter of whether it would be improved by having statutory powers.  NCVS's view is that this would not be helpful and our response to this discussion paper (see below) details our reasons for believing this.

NCVS Compact Consultation Response (95kb)

To download a copy of the discussion paper and to find out more about the Compact visit www.thecompact.org.uk

For related links go to our Links section.