Meta Zimmeck and Colin Rochester, Practical Wisdom R2Z, at Engage - the collaborative working conference 2013.

1. Practical Wisdom R2Z
Engage: WCVA Collaborative Working Conference,
Swansea, 9 July 2013
A tale of two sectors: Effective relationships
between local authorities and the voluntary sector
Meta Zimmeck and Colin Rochester

2. Working together/partnerships/compacts/collaborations
“Much of the academic debate on partnership has
bemoaned the lack of shared definition of the term….
This is partly because it is the sort of term that has
been deployed by many of its users to mean simply
what they want it to mean.”
(Rees et al. 2012)
Relationships between local authorities
and the voluntary sector: What are they?

3. Relationships between local authorities and
the voluntary sector: What are they?
“We are constantly being exposed to the wonders of
partnership… although I hasten to add the word ‘partnership’
been so over used in recent years we now have adopted a new
word ‘collaboration’…. For many the reality is that we the
providers of public services will work with whoever we believe
can help in getting the job done rather than laboriously adopting
a ‘box ticking’ approach that dictates a range of organisations
being invited to the party before any real work is undertaken.”
(John Watkin, Denbighshire Voluntary Service Council, blog, 30
November 2009)

4. Task of session
To discuss key ingredients of successful
relationships
• Good practice/bad practice
• Benefits/limitations of written agreements
• Relevance to current consultation by Welsh
Government

5. Underlying structural issues: Power and
politics
• Imbalance or asymmetry of power between UK
government/Welsh Government/local authorities
• Imbalance or asymmetry of power between local
authorities/voluntary sector
• Organisation of the voluntary sector as a partner:
issues of “one voice” vs diversity, “legitimacy” of
representation, role of infrastructure organisations

6. 5 factors underpinning development of
partnerships
• A local authority capable of entering into partnership with the voluntary
sector
• A voluntary sector capable of entering into partnership with the local
authority
• Existence of an interface between the local authority and the voluntary
sector that is sufficiently extensive and important to warrant entering into
and sustaining partnership
• Reasons for the local authority and the voluntary sector to enter into
partnership which, if not the same, are at least compatible and similarly
compelling
• Administrative arrangements for implementation that are fit for purpose
and drive forward the partnership

7. Factors underpinning development of
partnerships (1)
A local authority capable of entering into partnership with the
voluntary sector
• Size and type of local authority (unitary vs two-tier)
• Scope and degree of overlap with other government bodies
(health boards, etc.)
• Approach of local politicians (all parties) to partnership
• Penetration of partnership working horizontally within local
authority (some or all departments) and vertically among
staff (senior staff to frontline staff)
• Involvement of councillors, senior staff and other staff in
partnership working

8. Factors underpinning development of
partnerships (2)
A voluntary sector capable of entering into partnership with
the local authority
• Size and distribution (large or small, rural or urban)
• Structure (cohesive or diffuse)
• Degree of organisation in networks, sub-sectors (or not)
• Effectiveness of leadership (or not)
• Representative legitimacy of leadership (or not)
• “Sector consciousness” - shared identity and shared interests,
“all in it together” (or not)

9. Factors underpinning development of
partnerships (3)
Existence of an interface between the local authority and the
voluntary sector that is sufficiently extensive and important to
warrant entering into and sustaining partnership
• Pressures to conform to external policy agendas vs. doing it
their own way
• Breadth and depth of local authorities’ involvement
• Breadth and depth of voluntary sector’s involvement
• Nature of engagement – provision of public services,
consultation, advice, campaigning

10. Factors underpinning development of
partnerships (4)
Reasons for the local authority and the voluntary sector to
enter into partnership which, if not the same, are at least
compatible and similarly compelling
• Relationship is bad and needs fixing or relationship is good
and needs sustaining
• Shared commitment (or not)
• Trust (or not)
• Organisational cultures compatible (or not)
• Existence of evidence base that demonstrates the importance
of the sector and how it contributes/can contribute to local
authority’s projects

11. Administrative arrangements for implementation that are fit for purpose
and drive forward the partnership
• Written agreement that sets out shared aims, agreed outputs, responsibilities, risk
sharing and accountability
• Liaison committee composed of representatives of all partners (including
councillors/board members, senior officers and key officers of local government
bodies and representatives of the local voluntary sector)
• Action plan with measurable targets and sensible timetable for carrying forward
the day-to-day work of the partnership
• Arrangements for monitoring progress against action plan
• Arrangements for review and, if necessary, renewal of the agreement
• Arrangements for dealing with disputes or breaches of the agreement
• Arrangements for sharing information and training of key participants
• Sufficient resources
Factors underpinning development of
partnerships (5)

12. Colin Rochester and Meta Zimmeck. The case for Statutory Compacts between Welsh
Local Authorities and the Third Sector: Summary Report and Recommendations.
Welsh Government, March 2013. http://wales.gov.uk/docs/caecd/research/130318-
statutory-compacts-local-authorities-third-sector-summary-en.pdf
Annexes: Available from michael.harmer@wales.gsi.gov.uk
A: Report on Preliminary Interviews
B: Case Studies
C: Literature Review
D: Legal Opinion
Meta Zimmeck, Colin Rochester and Bill Rushbrooke. Use it or lose it: A summative
evaluation of the Compact. Commission for the Compact, March 2011.
http://www.tsrc.ac.uk/NewsandEvents/EvaluationoftheCompact/tabid/798/Default.asp
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Practical Wisdom R2Z
http://www.practicalwisdomr2z.co.uk