Coventry earns Green Flag as a leading Compact area but gritty realism required over the worsening financial climate and its impact on local organisations.

The 11 June saw a double celebration for Coventry's Compact, but a celebration recognising also the increasing need to maintain a gritty and pragmatic sense of realism in dealing with the enormous financial pressures facing public and third sector services in Coventry and the role Compact plays in this.

On 10 June, NCVO's Compact Voice named Coventry as one of only 15 areas to earn a Green Flag for having a strong local Compact. Coventry was particularly noted for being the first area in the country to develop local Compact awards celebrating effective partnership working in the spirit of Compact, and the ceremony for these local awards took place at the Welcome Centre on 11 June. Four special commendations and ten commendations were given out for multi-sector partnerships involving nearly 30 different organisations or partnerships.

Recent Compact work has included a complete updating and expansion of the original Funding Code and the development of new codes on Commissioning and Conflict Resolution, and a major awareness raising campaign including a new LSP livery for all codes, a new ‘concertina' leaflet, publicity articles, direct e-mails to key contacts in the statutory sector, and the Compact awards themselves.

The Compact Strategic Group met immediately before the awards ceremony on 11 June, bringing together key figures from the statutory, voluntary and community sectors involved in the broader Coventry Partnership. Whilst recognising the very positive partnership working in the city and the contribution of Compact towards this, the mood was also one of gritty realism over what lies ahead, with the Council facing additional £3.5m revenue funding cuts from the Government funding this year in addition to the reductions and efficiency savings already being planned. The lack of financial stability for any organisation in the current climate will temper future expectations of what is reasonable, and funders will have to look even harder at value for money. Whilst financial stability amongst the ‘market' of key voluntary sector providers remains important, there was a general recognition that:

- some organisations will close
- the pace of change will be intense
- there will be no room for complacency or preciousness over who delivers what for whom
- adaptability will be key to survival and collaboration even more important

Compact will continue to play a key role in managing this change, not least in the fair sharing of risk and in the building of joint understanding, and Compact itself will continue to need to evolve, so that it remains relevant to a harsher financial climate without losing sight of its key principles. The Compact Strategic Group will be meeting again later in the autumn to keep this under review.

For the latest news on collaboration in Coventry, click here

To see all the Coventry Compact Awards, click here

To see the 15 areas in England awarded a Green Flag by Compact Voice, click here http://www.compactvoice.org.uk/map

Compact principles apply in changes to day centre services - click here