Speaking at an NCVO dinner on 11 October, he praised the ability of the sector to engage with, and achieve the trust of, the marginalised members of society, yet admitted there were failings within the civil service when it came to dealing with charity and voluntary groups.

He identified several challenges for the civil service to meet in order to maximise the effectiveness of the third sector. They included: increasing awareness of the potential of the voluntary sector; cutting red tape; providing a ‘level playing field’ in procurement; and helping third sector organisations invest in measures to improve standards and accountability.

Earlier that evening, Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO and O’Donnell announced that they were looking to introduce secondments. Voluntary sector workers will be able to gain insight into government decision-making, “and we can learn from you how to organise things in a non-bureaucratic way", said O’Donnell.

The secondments are still in the planning stage and further details are to be announced.