An important new agreement setting out the relationship between City of York Council and the city's network of voluntary and community groups was signed today (Friday, March 1).

The York Compact was launched at noon today at a special event in York with Councillor Bob Scrase, the council's executive member for community safety and local affairs, and Rosemary Suttill, a trustee of York Council for Voluntary Service, signing the document.

Copies of the York Compact, which encompasses four codes of practice, were delivered to a gathering of key city voluntary sector representatives, councillors and council officials at the Priory Street Centre today.

Yesterday's council Officer In Consultation meeting for community safety and local affairs agreed to fund voluntary groups to the tune of £300,000 in 2002/2003 - largely through direct funding but also through some discretionary rate relief. The money is part of the council's £1m annual overall commitment to city voluntary groups.

Work to develop an agreement between the council and voluntary groups in York started in 1997 but was given extra impetus when the Government produced a national compact in 1998. In February 2000 the principles and outline of the compact were agreed and since then officers from the council and York CVS and a range of voluntary organisations have been working together to develop codes of practice on funding, consultation, volunteers and the black and minority ethnic voluntary/community sector.

The work recognises the value that voluntary and community organisations play in the life of any community and seeks to strengthen and clarify relationships between statutory and voluntary organisations.

In York the voluntary and community sector provides a vast range of services to local people - from small self help groups, run entirely by volunteers, to nationally recognised organisations with paid professional staff.

Examples of guidelines in the Codes of Practice include: voluntary and community groups will maintain their independence regardless of any funding provided by the Council where the council consults with voluntary/community groups and their members both parties will provide feedback on the outcomes of that consultation appropriate training and supervision should be provided to volunteers

Sue Poole, the council's strategic policy officer, said, "The compact is not designed to sit on the shelf - it will be monitored and developed by a Compact Development Group and further codes of practice may be developed in the future according to need. The group will also promote the principles and good practice in the compact and will be able to comment on any breaches in the relationships or codes."

Councillor Scrase said, "It is only by working more closely together that we can all achieve more for York - the activity of putting this agreement together has helped. Now we can move forward from a basis of common understanding.

"This step is a positive one for the voluntary sector, the city council and therefore the city as a whole. I would also like to thank all those who have made a contribution to the process over the last two years."

Ultimately, individual groups - as well as the council and CVS - are expected to be able to sign up to the compact giving a public commitment to the shared principles and joint working to meet good practice.

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