The Civil Society Covenant: A New Era of Partnership Between Government and Communities

On July 17th, the UK Government launched the Civil Society Covenant, a framework to strengthen relationships with the voluntary and community sector. The current government has positioned this as a cultural shift in how civil society and government work together. 

Here’s what it means—and why it matters to our work.  

Image credit: Greater London Authority. 

The Covenant is a set of principles designed to help build effective partnerships across civil society and government. It applies to all UK government departments and recognises the vital role of charities, social enterprises, faith-based groups, unions, funders and informal community organisations. It places civil society at the heart of government decision-making and recognises that national renewal cannot be driven by Westminster alone. It reflects a new way of working—one that puts people and communities at the centre of policymaking. 

How is the UK Government committed to this? 

 The government has included five guiding principles for the Covenant:  

• Shared ambition for better outcomes 

• Respect for civil society’s independence 

• Working together as equal partners 

• Building trust through transparency 

• Commitment to learning and improvement 

The government has stated they will:  

• Design, fund, and deliver policies and services in genuine partnership, such as working with mayors, local authorities, and other public bodies. 

• Respect the independence of civil society organisations, ensuring they can advocate for those they serve and hold government to account without fear of reprisal. 

• Promote participation and inclusion by involving people in decisions that affect their lives. 

• Report annually on actions taken to honour the Covenant and the impact of this partnership with civil society. 

• Establish new structures for collaboration, including a Joint Civil Society Covenant Council to oversee implementation, a Local Partnerships Programme to strengthen relationships between local authorities and civil society, and a developing VCSE–HM Treasury forum for regular engagement on economic and financial issues affecting the sector.  

Who is involved in the Covenant?  

The Civil Society Summit brings together: 

• Charities 

• Social enterprises 

• Faith-based groups 

• Unions 

• Funders 

• Informal community organisations 

The purpose is to address the UK’s most urgent issues, including access to healthcare and tackling violence against women and girls. 

For policies to truly be effective, decision makers need to listen to the stories from communities. What challenges and disparities are they navigating in their homes, communities and workplaces? How can we strengthen the bond between the government and the people who live in the UK to create genuine, long-term systemic change? That important question is now being formally addressed through this new national approach. 

Imagine credit: Medium

Visit GOV.UK to read the Civil Society Covenant in full.  

Voice4Change England’s commitment to the Covenant  

When Starmer was elected, our very first call in our letter addressed to the new Labour Government was to strengthen the bond between civil society and government. We are pleased with this development as it deeply aligns with our core mission: to provide infrastructure support and drive systems change through the voices and experiences of racialised communities.  

Civil society is deeply rooted in our communities. If you’ve visited a museum, attended a non-profit workshop, volunteered, received mental health support from a charity, or signed a petition—then you’ve interacted with civil society. It plays a vital role in everyday life, particularly in empowering communities that have been historically marginalised or sidelined.  

Beyond the £15.8 billion civil society contributes annually to the UK economy, the Covenant recognises the emotional importance of civil society which acts as a connecting link between state and society and therefore lays the foundation for delivering real, lasting structural change for people.  

This is a new chapter for us all with a strong potential to be a landmark moment for national change.   

As part of our role in the Covenant, we remain deeply committed to advocating for transformative change for Black and Minoritised Ethnic groups in the UK.