A new government covenant for the UK sector is welcome but how does it affect Scotland, asks Anna Fowlie

Last week, the prime minister launched a new covenant with civil society, heralded as a significant moment for the Westminster government. You might be wondering what it means for Scotland; indeed, you might be wondering what a covenant is and what civil society means.

In this context, civil society means the voluntary sector – charities, community organisations and social enterprises – together with co-ops, faith groups and others. And the covenant is a formal partnership agreement. The Labour Party started work on this concept when they were in opposition, as a reaction to the frankly hostile relationship that the previous Westminster administration had with the voluntary sector. There were culture wars, very public criticism of charities and gagging clauses in grant letters. There can be no question that the sector in England needed a completely different relationship with government. The word reset can be overused, but in this case it is essential.

When it was first mooted, some of us were sceptical about the determination of the secretary of state for culture media and sport that this new agreement would be UK-wide. Most of what the voluntary sector does relates to devolved activities, with notable exceptions such as immigration and international aid, but of course the actions of Westminster impact on much more – social security, economic policy, employment etc. We need look no further than the recent changes to employers’ National Insurance contributions, or welfare reform. So SCVO and our colleagues in Wales and Northern Ireland were active participants in the development of the covenant.

The covenant sets out shared principles for collaboration, mutual respect and trust. It’s very clear that the sector is independent and has the right to campaign and to challenge government. It sets out how UK government departments should engage with our sector, not just as delivery partners but in shaping policy development.

As you would expect, everyone in the civil society advisory group raised funding during the development phase, looking for commitments similar to our Fair Funding Principles. We didn’t get that. Yet. But the covenant does lay the foundations for a new approach to working with the Treasury. If the commitment we heard plays out in reality, that will be a significant achievement.

As was evident in all the quotes surrounding last week’s launch, we see this very much as a first step. The real shift will come in implementation, accountability and culture change.  Arrangements are currently being made for the groups and strands of work that will take this work forward, and we are pushing to ensure that the devolved nations will be included as appropriate in this.  We will update as soon as we can on these plans, and on how your organisation’s voices can be heard.

This leaves Scotland as the only part of the UK that doesn’t have a formal partnership between the government and the voluntary sector. The gold standard is in Wales, where there’s been a statutory Third Sector Scheme since devolution in 1999. Based on engagement with voluntary organisations earlier this year, our manifesto for the 2026 Scottish elections will include a call for a similar arrangement in Scotland.

For now, we are working with partners across the UK to make sure the covenant delivers on its promise. I hope that we will see better policy and legislation, more respectful relationships and public narrative, the voice of our sector being heard at the heart of Westminster, including our unique Scottish perspective.

We would like to hear about your experience as this develops, especially if you see positive changes, and will be finalising mechanism to gather this information as the work develops over coming months.   

Anna Fowlie is chief executive of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)

Main image credit: Simon Dawson / No 10 Downing Street. Click here for more details.