Merton has been recognised for its successful partnership work by winning the national accolade of Local Compact of the year.
The Compact Awards took place on 2 November and recognise excellent partnership working taking place between local and national government and the voluntary sector. The Merton Compact, made up of the council, voluntary sector representatives, the police and other public bodies, beat finalists East Sussex and Wolverhampton to take the top prize for a piece of work which saw the council working alongside the voluntary sector to design a new commissioning process for adult social care funding.
Merton was given the award on the merit of a specific project which looked in detail at the council’s investments in the voluntary sector for adult social care services. The aim of the project was to ensure the council was getting value for money and also helping the groups get good outcomes. The council wanted to find a new approach rather than simply rolling forward grants year after year.
The council asked the local voluntary sector to work with it to design a fair and transparent process to look at how existing investment is used, and to give local voluntary groups the chance to bid for grant funding using criteria and documentation drawn up by the voluntary sector.
Once the process was agreed, the council then worked with the voluntary sector to establish a joint panel to assess applications. As a result there is now a clearer picture of outcomes and value for money, and the voluntary sector believe that the process is fair and transparent.
Chris Frost, chief executive of Merton Voluntary Service Council said:
” Winning this award is great news for Merton and something we should all be very proud of. Prior to these awards Merton Compact was also highlighted by Nick Hurd MP, Minister for Civil Society and so hopefully we can continue to build on this success in the future through successful partnership working.”
Councillor Edith Macauley, Merton Council cabinet member for community safety, engagement and equalities said:
“Congratulations to the Merton Compact for winning this well deserved award. This specific project is an excellent example of how the different sectors can really help one another going forward and always ensure the most efficient ways of working and best outcomes for everyone.”
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Notes to editor:
The Merton Compact is made up of Merton Council, MVSC and other local voluntary sector representatives, NHS Sutton and Merton, police, and other agencies and is a long-standing agreement that sets outs shared commitments and guidelines for working between the sectors.
Press contact
Emma Henderson
London Borough of Merton
020 8545 3327