The Cumbria Compact
August ’25 update:
The Civil Society Covenant, launched in July, is a new principles-based foundation for resetting the relationship between the UK Government and civil society.
The Covenant symbolises the government’s recognition of civil society as a trusted and independent partner in tackling the deep seated challenges of our time. It underpins a strong, sustainable, and independent civil society capable of collaborating with government alongside a responsive government that works with civil society to achieve its mission.
The Covenant is a living set of principles which will help to build effective partnerships right across the breadth of civil society and government, without cutting across existing administrative or statutory frameworks.
We are actively engaging with Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council on how this will work here and Cumbria, alongside the Devolution process currently taking place in the county.
You can read the thoughts of our Operations Manager, Bridget Johns, here on what the Covenant means for Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) organisations, and how it could give us a way to push for the VCFSE sector to help set the direction from the start of Devolution.
June ’25 update:
A newly published report by NCVO and ACEVO has set out recommendations to help make the government’s forthcoming Civil Society Covenant meaningful and effective.
Building a Covenant for Civil Society and Government is based on input from more than 1,000 charities and voluntary organisations that took part in an engagement exercise in autumn 2024. The process was supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The goal is to create a Civil Society Covenant that recognises the value of our sector and makes it easier for charities to collaborate with government to create lasting positive change.
Read the full recommendations and download the report here
We are reviewing the content on this page. You can view earlier information below.
The Compact outlines the relationship between the public sector and the voluntary and community sector in Cumbria allowing them to work together more effectively to strengthen communities and improve people’s lives.
Download the Cumbria Compact.
Download the Compact summary.
Volunteering
The Volunteering Code of Practice is part of the Cumbria Compact:
Download the Volunteering Code of Practice.
Positive Dispute Resolution Process
This document contains a description of what to do if you think that an organisation has broken the commitments made through the Cumbria Compact:
Download the Positive Dispute Resolution Process.
Compact Voice
Compact Voice is the voice of the voluntary sector on the Compact. They provide training and resources, and represent the sector’s concerns to the Government.
Audit tools for working together
Below you can download checklists which are an audit tool/quick reference for any work you might be undertaking.
‘VS’ refers to the checklists aimed at the voluntary and community sector, and ‘PS’ are the checklists for public sector organisations.
