New Compact in November
The Compact is to be revised. Sir Bert Massie, the Commissioner for the Compact, will lead on the redraft of the Compact at the request of third sector minister Kevin Brennan. A new version of the national Compact will be published in November.
The Compact has not been revised since former Prime Minister Tony Blair established it in 1998 to outline how the voluntary and public sectors should behave towards each other.
The approach will be to take what is best from the existing documents rather than start from scratch. This will ensure that the new version takes into account recent developments in law, policy and practice. The Office of the Third Sector and Compact Voice are also establishing a cross-sector advisory panel to oversee the issues the new version should cover. Commissioning is expected to feature prominently.
£70 Million Migrants Impact Fund Announced
Government had announced details of a new £70 million fund to support communities in managing local pressures from migration which can place pressures on local public services including councils, schools, the NHS and the police.
Although all regions of England will receive a proportion of the funding, the amount each receives will be weighted towards the areas where international migration has had the greatest short-term impact.
Funding will be allocated to local projects from Government Offices working closely with local partners, and will be particularly targeted at projects which have identified innovative solutions to migration-related pressures - where possible involving and benefiting a number of local services.
To be considered for funding, projects must be able to demonstrate that they bring benefits to the settled, as well as the migrant community in an area. For example, additional English language provision for migrants will mean reducing the cost to public services from translation and interpretation.
In addition, ‘economic migrants’ and students coming to the UK from outside the EU will be charged a levy in addition to their normal visa application fee. The revenue will form the Migrants Impact Fund. The Fund will mean that migrants are being asked to pay an additional contribution to that which they already make through taxes, to support the communities in which they live. The funding amounts to £35 million in the first year and subject to a review in the autumn of the migrant fees being received, a similar amount in 2010/11.
Migrant and refugee community organisations influencing policy
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published a report entitled 'Change from Experience' on a partnership which explored how migrant and refugee community organisations influence policies and practices crucial to the lives of their communities. Read the report http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/migrant-refugee-community-organisations-influence
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