Compact disputes between charities and local public bodies have more than tripled in the last three years, with local disputes overtaking national ones, according to the Compact Advocacy Programme’s (CAP) 2006/07 case report.

Cases between charities and bodies such as local councils and primary care trusts have risen from 14 in 2005/06 to 50 in 2006/07 the report found. And with government increasingly seeking to devolve power and decision making to the local level, CAP said, local cases have overtaken national ones, of which only 30 were reported in the 2006/07 period.

CAP also reported that charities were using the Compact in order to resolve disputes (which is, indeed, what it is intended for) but described practice at a local level as worrying. It said that the various local Compact breaches included ending funding without proper notice, not consulting organisations in a meaningful way and not involving charities in designing new programmes of work.

Jess Crocker, Compact advocate with the Local CAP said: “We are delighted that organisations are using the Compact to resolve disputes with local public bodies. However, the statistics show that many local public bodies are still not respecting the Compact and our experience has been that some of the best and worst practice is at a local level. It is high time that the good practice was shared and the Compact understood and implemented across the country. We hope that this report will be a catalyst for that to happen.”

The report also identifies difficulties with Compact implementation at a national level, finding that non-departmental public bodies such as the Learning and Skills Council and the Legal Services Commission are persistent offenders in terms of Compact breaches. Of the 30 national cases reported, 11 involved such organisations.

Ingela Andersson, Compact advocate with the National CAP said that a key problem was the breakdown of communication between different government bodies. “All too often the voluntary sector falls through the gaps of different institutions, and groups are being passed from pillar to post trying to resolve issues. A good example of this is regarding EU funding, with some non-departmental public bodies claiming that the Compact doesn’t apply to them or to EU funds. We would welcome government resolving this issue.”