Agenda item

            The Committee considered the undernoted report:

 

“Relevant Background Information

 

1.1       The Department for Social Development held a public consultation from 13 January 2011 to 23 February 2011 on proposals for a new ‘Concordat’ between the voluntary and community sectors (VCS) and the NI government.

 

            The Concordat replaces a ‘Compact’ between government and the sector endorsed by the Executive in 2000. In 2008 the Minister for Social Development acknowledged that a policy gap existed in the Executive, and in the Assembly, in respect of the relationship with the sector and the need to fill it appropriately.

 

            It was agreed that the best approach would be to develop a new Concordat between Government and the voluntary and community sector supported by a programme of agreed actions and commitments.

 

            The draft Concordat describes the ‘shared vision of Government and the Voluntary and Community Sector is to work together as social partners to build a participative, peaceful, equitable and inclusive community in Northern Ireland.’

 

            It outlines a series of shared values and principles between the CVS and Government. And It defines a set of specific commitments identifying key activities is the most appropriate implementation and control mechanism. The commitments are there to ensure the effective delivery of significant elements of the concordat.

 

            A copy of the draft is available at: www.dsdni.gov.uk/consultation-concordat.htm

 

            Belfast City Council did not receive a direct invitation from DSD to contribute to the consultation and officers only became aware of it informally on 10 February. Officers have since approached DSD who extended their deadline for submissions to 3 March 2011.

 

Key Issues

 

2.1       •     While the Concordat focuses specifically on the relationship between the VCS and central government, officers are concerned that there is no direct reference to the role of local government in the draft.

 

·         Local government’s current relationship with the sector is considerable. We not only offer advice, support and funding to the sector through the work of the Community Services section, but we also have a large number of linkages to the sector through the work of many of our other council services and units. And, under forthcoming local government reforms, it is apparent that these relationships are only likely to grow over the next few years.

 

·         In particular, our work on a future model for Community Development; our emerging approaches to Community Planning and community engagement, our support for Neighbourhood Renewal, will have a significant impact on the relationship between the statutory sector and the CVS.

 

·         It is important and constructive that these relationships between central government, the CVS and local government is recognised within the Concordat and that local government is formally involved in the implementation arrangements.

 

Resource Implications

 

3.1       There are no resource costs associated with this consultation response.

 

Equality and Good Relations Considerations

 

4.1       None for Belfast City Council.

 

Recommendations

 

            The Committee is asked to :

 

5.1       •  Consider the contents of the draft response

 

5.2       •  Agree to its submission to DSD with the proviso that it will be subject to full council endorsement in April.

 

Decision Tracking

 

      Timeframe:          Reporting Officer:    Barbary Cook

 

Key to Abbreviations

 

      DSD – Department for Social Development

      VCS – Voluntary and community sector

 

Documents Attached

 

      Appendix 1:

 

Appendix 1: BelfastCity Council draft response to

the consultation on the Concordat between Government

and Voluntary and Community Sector

 

1.         We welcome the Concordat and the Executive’s recognition of the important role the voluntary and community sectors (VCS) have to play in civic society.

 

2.         In the foreword to the consultation the Minister acknowledges: ‘All of us, in central and local government, public bodies, and the VCS share the ambition of improving public services, ensuring value for money, and making a different to people’s lives.’ The Minister continues, ‘it is increasingly important that Government and VCS work in partnership to build a better society’.

 

Belfast City Council welcomes this recognition by the Minister of the inter-dependence between sectors in building a strong civil society, including the roles of both central and local government.

 

3.         However, in the body of Concordat the definition of ‘government’ appears to be restricted to central government and does not include reference to the role of local government.  Belfast City Council would suggest that the interface between local and central government and the legislative frameworks within which they operate is central to the functions of civil society. The Concordat does not recognise this inter-dependence.

 

4.         On 30th November 2010 the Environment Minister announced policy proposals for the reform of local government, commenting: ‘Our vision is of a strong, dynamic local government that creates vibrant, healthy, prosperous, safe and sustainable communities that have the needs of all citizens at their core.’  Belfast City Council would suggest that this vision for strong, dynamic local government is reflected within the Concordat.

 

5.         Increased collaborative working between local and central government and the VCS is important not only in reducing administrative burdens but, more importantly, in fostering creative opportunities for shared design, production and delivery of services. The need for greater co-operation and more effective approaches is heightened as demand for public services increase during a time of budget constraints.

 

6.         Local government’s current relationship with the VCS is considerable. Belfast City Council not only offers advice, support and funding to the sector through the work of our Community Services section, but we also have a large number of linkages through the work of many of our other council services and units – often in partnership with central government. For example our grant schemes that offer direct financial support to the VCS is partially funded through the DSD’s Community Support plan which itself recognizes the key connecting role played by local government in work at the neighbourhood level with the community and voluntary sectors.

 

7.         Local government is ideally placed to facilitate the move towards Community Planning and emerging Power of Well-being responsibilities. However, such proposals will bring long-term profound challenges as well as opportunities. In establishing that local government is best placed to identify local need the Executive must also acknowledge and identify the correlation between recent Bills, policies and strategies, which will impact on the remit of local authorities.

 

8.         Given the important role of local government in both the current and planned future arrangements, Belfast City Council would have welcomed an opportunity to influence and be a partner in the development of the Concordat.

 

9.         The Council welcomes the move beyond the ‘principles’ approach of the 1998 Compact. We applaud the inclusion of an agreed set of commitments to ensure the successful implementation of the new pledge and note that a body has been allocated responsibility to review progress and approve additions. However, the council is concerned that the current membership of the Joint Forum does not include representation from local government and suggest that this absence will further weaken the clear role that local government should play in support of the shared Concordat vision.

 

10.       The Council would welcome an early review of the Terms of Reference and the Membership of the Joint Forum in order to address this and any other identified gaps.  Furthermore, we feel that appropriate mechanisms should be agreed to ensure member engagement within their sectors in order to ensure a heightened awareness and ownership of the Concordat and to facilitate proactive involvement of, feedback to, and influence from, constituency groups.

 

11.       The new Joint Forum should then review the current Commitment Programme to ensure it reflects the needs and opportunities of the enhanced partners.

 

12.       BelfastCity Council welcomes the commitment that partners should work together to implement an outcomes focus to funding. However, we feel that this outcomes approach should not be limited to funding arrangements but should be extended to all areas of partnership work.

 

13.       The Council would welcome the inclusion of a Communications Plan to ensure awareness of and access to the principles and values set down in the new agreement.  Furthermore this would support constituency influence of the Commitment Programme and accountability arrangements for its implementation.  This would also ensure a collective responsibility to engage and to inform and thus improve engagement and involvement.

 

14.       The Concordat should consider accountability arrangements for all partners.  The current language would suggest that this focus is on the voluntary and community sector.  Given the ethos of the Concordat and the stated principles and values, perhaps the language might be rephrased to recognize that accountability is a key responsibility for all partners.”

 

            The Committee approved the draft response.