Speaking at a Local Government Association conference on building social capital in the third sector, Miliband said: “If there is one thing I want to achieve as minister of the third sector it is proper implementation of the Compact.”

Miliband also vowed to introduce three year funding programmes for third sector organisations as the norm rather than the exception. “If we can move to a situation where three year funding is the norm rather than the exception, I think it would make a huge difference to the third sector and the way it operates,” he said. “This is an issue for central government as well and it’s something I’m looking at as part of the spending review.”

He called on delegates to help the government make the shift to three year funding by informing the Office of the Third Sector exactly what difference it would make on the ground.