Experts are being sought by the government to join a newly created body to support the implementation of its Civil Society Covenant.

The Civil Society Council will meet four times a year at 10 Downing Street from January to work in partnership with ministers on the Covenant, which launched earlier this year and aims to better involve charities in the design and delivery of policies.

It will be supported by a “small, dedicated team in No10, which will provide the secretariat”, said the government.

The Council will be chaired by NCVO chief executive Kate Lee and it is hoped she will be joined by around 12 civil society experts.

Representatives from No 10 and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will also attend.

The Council “represents a desire not only for solving problems across the system, but also to think boldly about how to maximise the opportunities for civil society to contribute across every part of government”, states application documents.

The deadline for applications is 11:59pm on 5 January 2026, with interviews carried out shortly afterwards and expected to end on 16 January.

The government is anticipating that a range of experts are appointed, including those working in frontline roles, trustees and philanthropists.

A “diversity of geographies, ages and backgrounds” is also being sought. This includes an explicit call for a youth representative.

In announcing the Covenant in July Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged that charity leaders will not be "shut out" of government policy or expected to "pick up the bits".

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