Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Not Addressed
Balancing national oversight with local volunteer spirit is key challenge for RFCA reform.
Conclusion
The Department said that the challenge is to balance the need for a professional and effective national organisation that can be held to account, with the ability to leverage the membership’s volunteer spirit. It said that there was an ongoing conversation with the RFCAs around 20 Qq 17 and 18 21 Q 53 22 Qq 54 and 55; Letter from Assistant Chief of Defence Staff Reserves and Cadets, 27 June 2025 23 Q 2; C&AG’s Report, paras 1.15 and 1.18 24 Qq 3 and 11 12 how to develop bespoke structures which will make the organisation as effective and efficient as possible while maximising local membership and preserving, enhancing and supporting the RFCAs’ volunteer work and their insights and expertise.25 The Council explained that reserves and cadets join to serve locally, and central coordination needs to be combined with local implementation by people who understand their local environments. The Council said that it did not believe that much will change for those carrying out the work within the RFCAs at a local level, but that the formalised structure would improve coherence and coordination. It thought that the move to an NDPB would bring the benefits of central direction while maintaining the local knowledge of those who do the work.26 25 Qq 3, 6 and 11 26 Q 12 13 2 Risks and limitations of the current RFCA model The Ministry of Defence’s current oversight of the RFCAs
Government Response Summary
The item discusses the challenge of balancing a professional national organisation with leveraging volunteer spirit, and the Council's belief that an NDPB would bring benefits of central direction while maintaining local knowledge. The government response is about establishing an NDPB, which is related but doesn't directly address the points raised.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
3. PAC conclusion: The Department has not secured the legislative slot it needs for its preferred route forward, of streamlining the 13 RFCAs and the Council into a non- Departmental public body (NDPB). 3. PAC recommendation: The Department should write to the Committee by 31 March 2026 with an update on its progress in establishing an NDPB. This should include details of how it will ensure the correct balance between the operational effectiveness of the NDPB with the benefits of having local volunteer input. 3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: March 2026 3.2 Good progress continues within the department towards the establishment of a Reserves Forces and Cadet Association (RFCA) Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB). This follows the recommendations of the 2019 Sullivan Review, which identified the need for stronger governance and a more consistent approach across the 13 regional RFCAs. 3.3 A key early step was the Ministry of Defence’s designation of the Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Reserves & Cadets) as the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO), providing a clear point of leadership between the RFCAs and the department. Assurance and oversight have already improved through clearer service-level agreements, financial controls and reporting mechanisms. 3.4 The NDPB proposal remains one of the measures being developed for potential inclusion in the 2026 Armed Forces Bill. This will deliver the benefits expected of an NDPB model, including greater accountability, transparency and consistency of corporate governance. It supports the department’s ambition for a modernised organisational structure that can continue to provide effective stewardship of the Reserve and Cadet estate, workforce and community engagement responsibilities. 3.5 The RFCAs’ close connection with local employers, communities and volunteers remains central to operational effectiveness and resilience. Development of the NDPB model continues to ensure that these relationships and local volunteer input remain embedded at the heart of the future organization’s ways of working. 3.6 The department will provide updates on progress as requested by the Committee.