Compact has ‘had little impact’ on Councils and Public Sector

SDVS Headlines

18 June 2008

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Only one in four councillors, local authority and primary care trust staff think the Compact has had a significant impact on their relationship with charities, a survey has found.

The research by consultancy nfpSynergy showed that 25 per cent of councillors and 24 per cent of local authority staff agreed with the statement: “The local government Compact has made a big difference to our relationship with charities.”

The survey of 460 councillors and more than 420 local authority staff - including chief executives and employees in PCTs, social care, housing and education - also found that more than half of councillors and local authority staff thought charities were able to provide public services as cost-effectively as local authorities.

Sixty-three per cent of councillors and 59 per cent of local authority staff thought charities provided public services as cost-effectively as private companies.

Both groups were strongly supportive of the idea that charities should be able to “campaign to change the policies of local government relevant to their work”.

Lindsay Sutherland, a researcher for nfpSynergy, said the majority of councillors and local authority staff were either unaware of the Compact or thought it did not make much difference.

“The implication of the survey is that councillors and local authority staff are behind the idea of the Compact and that they do want to work with charities,” she said. “But the fact that the Compact is not binding could mean that they don’t give much importance to it.”

MAIN POINTS

* One in four councillors and local authority staff in the survey said the Compact had a significant impact on their relationship with charities
* 63% of councillors and 59% of local authority staff thought charities provided public services as cost-effectively as private companies
* Both groups polled were supportive of charities lobbying local authorities.


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