How the Oswestry Borough Compact was developed.
Work started last summer between Oswestry Borough Council (OBC), representing the statutory sector and Oswestry Community Action (OCA), representing the voluntary and community sector. These two organisations are signatories to the document along with Oswestry Community Partnership (OCP).
Organisations from each sector were invited to an initial workshop from which a steering group was formed. A series of draft documents was discussed culminating in this final draft.
Why have a Compact?
We recognise the roles both sectors play in the development and delivery of public policy and services.
Awareness of each other’s roles and responsibilities, however, has been patchy. By setting out and promoting our activities, we believe that Oswestrians will benefit from more coordinated, better-resourced community services.
The VCS’s services are crucial in this sparsely-populated area. A compact with the statutory sector, in particular policy-makers, clearly identifies and recognises the value and importance of their work in sustaining rural communities.
What’s in the Oswestry Borough Compact? The compact:
• sets out each sector’s pledges and promises;
• confirms the independence of the VCS;
• sets out clear, contractual arrangements;
• commits each sector to upholding nationally-recognised Codes of Good Practice in relation to volunteering, funding and equality and diversity.
Pledges and promises The statutory sector (represented by OBC and OCP) will:
• work with VCS organisations and communities to create opportunities for them to have more influence over policies;
• where a decision is likely to affect the VCS, consult widely and early enough to make a difference, allowing a minimum of 12 weeks;
• recognise the need for and plan for investment in the capacity of the sector’s infrastructure;
• develop a standardised and user-friendly system for grant applications, reducing bureaucracy;
• promote fair access to strategic, project and contract funding, and make clear the objectives and eligibility criteria of the grant programmes;
• ensure grants and service agreements are calculated to incorporate full cost recovery;
• respect the independence of the VCS, including its right within the law to campaign and to challenge policies;
• help the VCS to understand the procurement process so that organisations can bid for statutory sector contracts, in open competition;
• adopt the ‘hear by right’ principles* for engaging young people in policy development and volunteering;
• where appropriate, consider longer-term funding commitments of up to 3 years.
The voluntary and community sector (represented by OCA) will:
• promote better working relationships with OBC and OCP, partner organisations, other agencies and across the VCS as a whole by improved representation, the level of which will depend on the level of investment made by all sectors:
• develop with OBC and OCP processes and structures that enable full consultation and involvement, including promoting the collective and diverse views of the VCS;
• embrace diversity and work to improve community cohesion and reduce inequalities, promoting best practice and equality of opportunity in activities, employment, involvement of volunteers and service provision;
5
• develop, maintain and promote quality standards within the VCS organisations and services;
• comply with funders’ terms and conditions and set out clear and achievable outcomes that can be monitored and evaluated;
• use full cost recovery formulas when applying for funding;
• recognise local authorities’ constraints and procedures.
These will be reviewed regularly and updated or amended as appropriate through a monitoring and review process.
