The Civil Society Covenant, launched on 17 July 2025, marks a major shift in how the UK Government works with civil society. Co-designed with over 1,200 civil society organisations, it commits to recognising the sector not just as a stakeholder, but as a co-owner in shaping better public outcomes and strengthening democracy.
What the Covenant Does
The Covenant aims to reset the relationship between civil society and government, built on shared principles of respect, inclusion, transparency, and co-production. It aims to create effective, long-term partnerships that involve civil society in both policy design and service delivery.
Some of its key principles include:
- A principles-based agreement valuing civil society’s independence and contributions;
- A Joint Civil Society Covenant Council to drive and monitor implementation;
- A Local Partnerships Programme to support collaboration with local authorities;
- A VCSE-HM Treasury forum for ongoing dialogue on economic issues;
- Practical tools, guidance, and case studies through a new online hub.
Participation, Inclusion, and Shared Decision-Making
The Covenant offers concrete mechanisms for participation and inclusion by supporting:
- Co-production: Engaging citizens and communities directly in shaping solutions.
- Active participation: Facilitating volunteering, social action, and civic engagement.
- Removing barriers: Prioritising equity and access for marginalised groups.
- Shared decision-making: Involving civil society early in the policy cycle, not as afterthoughts.
- Transparent communication: Ensuring that community input leads to visible action—closing the feedback loop with “you said, we did” reporting.
Local Impact: Public Voice in Haringey
Haringey’s Public Voice offers a strong example of the Covenant in action. Through the Haringey Community Collaborative, launched in May 2024 with Mind in Haringey and Haringey Council, over 70 local organisations co-produced solutions to urgent issue, most notably, the cost-of-living crisis.
Key initiatives include a community-led ‘Challenge Fund’ for grassroots projects; Capacity-building support for local VCS groups; and a focus on food insecurity, housing, digital access, and employment.
Meanwhile, the Joint Partnership Board, supported by Public Voice since 2017, brings residents, council, and NHS staff together in shared decision-making, ensuring lived experience shapes public services in real time, co-producing improvements in local police training, as well as enhancing inclusivity of the borough’s low-traffic neighbourhoods.
What Public Voice has learned
Through our work in Haringey, Public Voice has seen that power sharing with communities leads to better services, stronger engagement, and more equitable outcomes. But genuine co-production takes time, involves risk, and requires managing expectations and systemic delays.
That’s why Public Voice supports the principles of the Civil Society Covenant. We offer a practical, national framework for rebalancing power and rebuilding trust, and our firsthand experiences show that when co-production is done well, communities are empowered, services improve, and decisions reflect real lived experience. We hope it will lead to wider sharing of power and decision-making with local communities.