David Cameron might not know what exactly the Big society is,Rod Bluh might not know either but the good old British trust for Conservation Volunteers ahve given it go and here is theri call to arms:
BTCV Community Network Groups and the Big Green Society
December 2010
Introduction
The Big Society is David Cameron’s “big idea” and a programme for structural change. This document aims to describe what Government means by the Big Society and what opportunities this agenda might open up for community groups/members of the BTCV Community Network.
At its core the Big Society means greater decision making powers and responsibility for local people. There are three core components: “empowering communities,” “opening up public services” and “promoting social action”. The Big Society will be showcased through commitments such as a National Tree Planting Campaign, a National Citizen Service for young people, and a National Day to celebrate and encourage social action.
BTCV intends to support the creation of a Big Green Society; a mass mobilisation of 235,000 active citizens working together to make local places better. More importantly, we want to promote the idea of the Big Green Society to celebrate collective community effort, inspire more people to get involved, and to show what Big Society looks like in practice on a national scale.
At the heart of our vision for a Big Green Society is the BTCV Community. This comprises 125,000 environmental volunteers nationally, working to conserve some of the UK's most precious landscapes, but also working in poor quality urban environments, where even small environmental improvements make a real difference to quality of life. Over and above this, we have 2,000 small independent community groups, formally affiliated to the BTCV Community Network.
Taken together, our individual volunteers and our affiliated group members represent some 235,000 environmentally active citizens. BTCV sees the Big Society concept as an opportunity to demonstrate the importance of the local environment as a building block for a better quality of life. We urge government and local authorities to work with BTCV and its network of community environmental groups.
1. The Big Society – Challenges and Opportunities
The Big Society concept will be reinforced by the Decentralisation and Localism Bill (expected to be published in December 2010). This will follow up Government’s commitment to devolve greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods and give local communities control over housing and planning decisions. Part of the Bill will give communities the right to bid to take over local state-run services in a step to save local facilities and services.
Community groups and residents will have increased weighting in decision making. Residents will have the power to bring about local referendums on any local issue. The Localism Bill will also set out a new “right to bid” which will allow local people to bid to take over the running of any local public service that they feel could be better run under community control.
The Big Society concept, and the Localism Bill present a range of challenges to community groups as well as possibly significant opportunities.
a) Funding
Government spending cuts announced in October 2010 will have a significant impact. Increasingly resources are going to be focused on the provision of statutory duties such as education, social services and planning functions. In particular much of the work undertaken by environmental groups is likely to be deemed non-statutory and therefore more likely to see a reduction in both funding and staffing.
b) Doing More for Less
The current financial situation is turning a lot of traditional thinking on its head and local authorities have to urgently explore how they can continue to support the delivery of services but do it in different ways. Early examples of this include the proposed amalgamation of three London Boroughs to gain economies of scale and the outsourcing of local authority functions which were traditionally delivered in house.
c) Possible Opportunities for Community Environmental Groups.
Volunteering lies at the heart of the Big Society concept. So it should present many opportunities for BTCV Community Network groups to play an active role should they so wish. This could take many forms, as per section 3 below. However, before starting to discuss opportunities with local authority partners and others it is important to establish that that you engage for the right reasons particularly because some sections of your community may feel that you are providing a cheap option and substituting volunteers for paid jobs. BTCV's position on job substitution (which you might think about adopting as a policy for your own group) is:
BTCV will not undermine the local labour market by encouraging volunteers to take work from paid employees.
BTCV will not exploit volunteers by asking them to undertake work that would normally be paid for.
BTCV will respond positively to any concerns from employers and trades unions about job substitution.
2. The benefits of engaging with community environmental groups.
Local authorities wanting to maintain greenspace quality in a time of spending cuts may well want to look to voluntary and community groups for help. But not all will be convinced that this is a good direction to move in. If you are in discussion with your local authority about how and where you could be funded to help with green space management, you may come across objections such as:
Job substitution: As in 1 (c) above.
Poor quality: Volunteers seen as untrained and unable to maintain green spaces to a reasonable standard
Unsustainable: Volunteers seen as unreliable, and unable to maintain commitment and good levels of service in the longer term.
Possible answers to these kinds of objections are as follows:
Sustainability: BTCV’s many years of experience has shown that community greenspaces are best managed with a long term perspective in mind and with practical management taking place as part of an ongoing process rather than in a big hit and then having nothing happen for many years. Community Environmental Groups are well versed in working this way.
Empowerment: Again BTCV’s experience shows that local people are far more likely to nurture and care for local greenspaces when they have a sense of ‘ownership’ of areas and are actively involved in their management.
Capacity Building: Environmental volunteering is a proven route to the development of practical skills, gaining confidence and building social networks. In many cases environmental volunteering has led to further training opportunities and paid employment for volunteers.
Quality: Increasing numbers of community groups are applying for the Green Flag Community Award – part of the national quality standard for parks and greenspaces. This can show that you are capable of doing a good quality job, and it can also help to attract funding.
Value for money: Community environmental groups are well versed at being able to demonstrate value for money when managing greenspaces. This comes from being part of the community and knowing people with equipment, materials and resources to loan or donate to projects. Community Groups also know how to spend money wisely which often does not happen when spending decisions are taken remotely.
3. Ways in which BTCV’s Community Network Groups could become engaged with the Big Society
a) Increased volunteer involvement in the management of greenspaces.
At the most basic level community groups may see the demand for their services from landowners increase because they are seen as one of the most cost effective ways of managing greenspaces.
b) Undertaking different types of management work
Groups may also be asked by landowners to undertake more technical tasks on sites, for example strimming or meadow mowing. If group members are happy to carry out these types of task it is important for groups to consider the training required, and if using powered machinery, to check that they have taken out the appropriate power equipment option on their BTCV insurance.
c) Taking on the responsibility for managing a site
Site owners may approach groups (or groups might want to approach them) about the possibility of taking over the responsibility for the management of a greenspace. How this is done could take a number of forms. At its most simple it may involve an informal or formal agreement with the landowner that the group will undertake a given number of visits/ workdays a year in return for an agreed sum. The work that is undertaken would need to be agreed and ideally the site would have a management plan which identifies the tasks and when they should be carried out. In this case the landowner retains overall responsibility and liability for them.
d) Ownership of the site passes to a community group.
Increasingly local authorities and other landowners see owning small areas of greenspace as a liability and are seeking to pass the site on to the community to own and manage. This approach fits well with the Big Society concept, which talks about empowering communities, redistributing power and fostering a culture of volunteerism.
The law already gives local authorities the power to transfer land – where it promotes social, economic and environmental well-being – for less than its market value. Community environmental groups are ideally placed, should they so wish, to take over site ownership. It does however need to be recognised that groups embarking on this path should do so with their eyes open, as along with the assets will come liabilities. It will take careful negotiation to ensure that an amount of funding is agreed to transfer along with the greenspace to cover future management costs and liabilities. This funding may only cover the costs for a given period and it will be down to groups themselves to either reduce management costs to help the funding last longer or have an income generation strategy for the long term. Our advice to groups is not to be too reliant on grants for long term funding and if possible generate funding through membership subscriptions, running events and selling services. Groups may also need to consider changing their status. For example, this might mean changing from an incorporated association to a registered charity.
e) Setting up a new body to manage community greenspaces
There is a growing trend to establish new bodies to take over the running of community assets. Two of the main mechanisms are Community Enterprises and Community Interest Companies. More information on these is available in this CABE Space publication Community-led spaces: a guide for local authorities and community groups which provides an introduction to the issues involved, based on the learning from a range of case studies across England.
4. Support for Community Groups
a) BTCV Community Network
The Big Society concept will not work if communities are simply left to fend for themselves. BTCV offers an ongoing support package for groups to help provide them with the skills, knowledge and confidence to play an active role in the Big Society. Our current support package includes:
"Mentoring" for groups, for example in the form of technical advice for groups planning environmental projects.
Technical advice and support through publications and handbooks
Advice on charity registration.
Championing the role of the network within Government
Discounts on a range of training courses.
Discounts on tools and materials for environmental projects.
Free listings on the BTCV website, or support for the group to set up its own website.
Regular newsletter, and ongoing information on funding opportunities.
Insurance.
b) Community Organisers
The Coalition Government has committed to creating “a new generation of community organisers” and has ambitions for a national network of 5000 full-time professionals to support local residents in setting up community groups and tackling social issues. Government is currently in the process of tendering for the provision of this service. However when appointed Community Organisers may be able to provide support to community environmental groups.
c) A national quality standard
Experience tells us that owners and managers of land sometimes fear that environmental volunteers cannot achieve high standards. Our response, in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy and GreenSpace, is the Green Flag national quality standard for parks and green spaces. BTCV in particular supports the Green Flag Community Award for community-led green space projects, and can use this to inspire and demonstrate excellence as a Big Green Society outcome.
5. Conclusion
We believe that by working together BTCV and the wider BTCV Community can make a positive contribution to the delivery of the Big Green Society. Outcomes could include:
A visible demonstration of The Big Society in action.
A focus on the "green" component of The Big Society, helping to channel messages about pro-environmental behaviour (important in the context of climate change).
Community support for maintenance of local green spaces – important if local authority environmental services budgets are under pressure.
Now is the time for community groups to be pro-active in firstly deciding if they wish to explore the opportunities outlined above and if so, in which ways. Once this discussion has be held at Management Committee / Trustee level there is nothing stopping communities from approaching their local authorities rather than waiting to be approached by the authority. In these discussions do not forget to stress that your community environmental group is part of a network which is supported by BTCV - a national infrastructure organisation with a fifty year track record.
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