FaithAction Celebrates Ten Years of the Faith Covenant
Ten years ago, the APPG for Faith and Society and Birmingham Council signed the first ever Faith Covenant (above). Since then, 32 Local Authorities have signed the Covenant.
What is the Faith Covenant?
The Faith Covenant is a joint commitment between faith communities and local authorities to a set of principles that guide engagement, aiming to remove some of the mistrust that exists and to promote open, practical working on all levels.
As Secretariat to the APPG, FaithAction have been at the forefront of this initiative, which sees local authorities committing to work in partnership with faith groups to deliver public services.
Who Has Signed It?
Since 2014, the Covenant has been signed by:
2014: Birmingham.
2015: Leeds, Northamptonshire, Barnet, Solihull, Calderdale.
2017: Southampton, Blackpool, Essex, (Basildon, Braintree, Chelmsford, Colchester, Maldon).
2018: Rochford, Preston, Brighton and Hove.
2019: Brentwood, Uttlesford.
2020: Castle Point, Harlow.
2021: Epping Forest, Wolverhampton.
2023: Coventry, West Midlands Combined Authority, Sandwell, Walsall, Dundee, Welwyn and Hatfield.
2024: Hertfordshire, Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
"The All-Party Group wants to hear from innovative faith-based organisations at work in local communities. They often develop solutions to society’s key problems, but can go unrecognised in Whitehall. We want to see that change. And we will look at whether regulatory changes would enable them better to realise and sustain their potential."
"We hope that though this group, we can raise awareness of the fantastic work of faith based organisations that we at FaithAction witness on a daily basis."
