CHARITIES have always been good at getting to the parts of society that the state fails to reach. But for a long time, the Government kept civil servants for the sector tucked away in a quiet corner of the Home Office.

Then in 2006 came a fanfare announcement: charities would get their own minister and a dedicated Office of the Third Sector (OTS) in the Cabinet Office. The man chosen to lead it was a former thorn in the side of the government, Campbell Robb, previously the director of public policy at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. No one, Robb says, was more surprised than he.

“I’d been arguing for years for a central government office and a long-term plan for the third sector; and then I was given the job of overseeing both of them,” he says.

It seems a long way from Gordon Brown’s description of charity in 1988 as the “sad and seedy competition for public pity”. Has the administration changed its spots? “None of this is about special pleading; ‘we deserve a break’,” Robb says. “I believe we are making a difference, but culture change takes time. We will be judged on how we can make [the third sector] at the heart of mainstream issues.”

A year and-a-half into the job, he is bursting with pride at the progress. Other departments listen to the third sector in ways they didn’t before, he says. “You only have to look at the number that give strategic grants.” The recent Third Sector Review (the “long-term plan”), led to a £515 million settlement for charities over the next three years, the biggest investment of its kind. It will encourage charities, already delivering record levels of public service, to deliver even more.

Criticising those for whom you work is a delicate act, but Robb denies any conflict. The state-charity relationship is mutually beneficial, he says.

“I don’t see any compromise. Some of the most ardent campaigners are organisations that deliver public services.” Ministers want charities’ opinions, he says. “I can guarantee that I am not buying their silence. We are giving them the capacity to really challenge government.”

Yet the politics of partnership are as tough to manage at local level, he says. The charity press recently reported local authority breaches of the Compact, a 1998 commitment to improve relations with voluntary groups. “The devolution of power in the public sector is a big challenge,” he says. “There have always been mixed relationships between local government and local third sector. But the commonality of interest should always outweigh the squabbles.”

With this in mind, local authorities and grant-makers will deliver £80 million in grassroots grants – bite-sized chunks to the smallest groups. Unusually for Government, the OTS won’t know what each group does with the money. “We hope they’ll use it as a starting point for getting more money.” An extra £50 million in endowments will help to build a “sustainable pot”. The emphasis on sustainability is telling. Robb is excited about social enterprise, a relative newcomer to the sector. OTS is looking into a social stock exchange. “It’s early days,” he says.

It is clear that the status of charities has improved markedly in the past decade. To drive it further, OTS jointly funded the new Third Sector Research Centre to study charities’ value and where they can improve their skills. “We need to strengthen the empirical evidence base for the sector.” With a glint in his eye, he recalls being given “the key to the kingdom”. So far, it all seems to be working out pretty well. Does he have any reservations about agreeing to deliver what he had long argued for? “There’s no one else to blame if things go wrong,” he says.

Born: May 14, 1969, Glasgow.

Career: Studied politics and history at the University of Edinburgh. In 1993-94 was a researcher to David Blunkett, MP, and in 1996-97 became a press officer to Chris Smith, MP. Joined NCVO in 1998 as head of campaigns and became director of public policy in 2001, contributing to the Comprehensive Spending Review. Became director-general of the Office of the Third Sector in November 2006.

What he says: “Any partnership will inevitably break down. It’s how you learn from it that counts.”

Little-known fact: He has an allotment and grows cucumbers – but doesn’t like them.

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