Never mind random acts of kindness ....

By Ethel Bangwayo
Strategic Engagement Officer, Herts CVS Group


….. they are so ‘last year’! ‘Random acts of Big Society’ are the in thing. So much so, that ‘Big Society’ has been named Oxford University’s 2010 ‘word’ for the year, fending off competition from the likes of ‘vuvuzela’, ‘Boris bike’, ‘simples’ and ‘staycation’. Given the economic environment, perhaps we should all staycation with our vuvuzelas this Christmas, and use any extra time to work off some calories on Boris bikes or better still, ‘do’ the occasional act of ‘Big Society’. Simples!

In keeping with the holiday spirit and current trends, I’m proposing a ‘Big Society’ themed Christmas. Why not? Every other event this year has been Big Society themed. From open days, through annual conferences to launches, Big Society has been woven into many aspects of our working lives. We might as well carry it home and into the holidays. As soon as we figure out what it means, that is.

After months of general societal confusion about the real meaning of ‘Big Society’, I have begun the process of formulating my own definition – a simplistic one based on two of the three tenets of Big Society: what we can do for ourselves and what we can do for others. It’s becoming clear (in my mind, anyway) that Big Society represents the small things that improve people’s lives. It’s not about the abundance (or lack) of financial resources, but more about the meaningful activity that brings people together, takes the focus off self, and seeks to improve the happiness and wellbeing of those around us. It’s about cohesion and unity, harnessing the strength that numbers can bring. It’s about getting to know your neighbours and working together to make your neighbourhood a better place to live. It’s a return to that most basic place where commerce was not in the driving seat, where people made the best of what they had even if it wasn’t much. It’s not about material possessions but rather, those priceless ‘things’ that a MasterCard can’t buy - love, family, peace, joy ..….. wait …. that sounds just like Christmas! Maybe that’s what Big Society is, after all - Christmas all year round ....

As for the third tenet – ‘what the state can do for us’ – well, the state and its constituent parts are trying to figure that out since receiving their settlements last week. Hopefully the new year will bring more clarity.

In the meantime, it remains for me to wish you a merry Christmas and a happy 2011. Be sensible, be safe and don’t forget the Big Society!

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

By Ethel Bangwayo
Strategic Engagement Officer, Herts CVS


No, it’s something rather uncomfortable appearing on the horizon! Statutory bodies are busy trying to figure out how best to lessen the potentially negative implications of the recently announced CSR. As part of that process, HCC has been running consultation sessions to get views about the way forward.

The Health and Wellbeing Unit is currently consulting on a way forward and encouraging providers and others to share ideas about services that they can provide better and cheaper. Ideas about how to make savings while achieving outcomes, how providers can be better co-ordinated, what engagement might look like etc are welcome. Existing contracts will be reviewed and assessed according to the priorities of the Prevention and Wellbeing strategy.

Cllrs Robert Gordon and David Lloyd recently hosted a ‘Let’s discuss’ session in which delegates were given HCC’s budget and asked to suggest savings and efficiencies. In the words of a colleague, “it’s like turkeys being asked to vote for Christmas”. It is and in recent weeks, I have made a worrying observation. Said turkeys are indeed voting for Christmas while simultaneously positioning themselves such that it is not them, but others who will eventually constitute the Christmas feast - never mind all that stuff about partnership working and collaboration! Hostile events will do one of two things – bring people together or have them sharpening the daggers. Fortunately, I have observed more of the former however, there is a bit of the latter at play - not only in Hertfordshire, I hasten to add. Something tells me there will be echoes of ‘et tu, Brute?’ up and down the country ……

‘Survival of the fittest’. That is certainly what Herts County Council and others have been suggesting: ie. that everyone pulls up their socks and demonstrates their value and worth. Efficiency is key. Understandably, there will be less sympathy for duplication and wastage. Murmurs from funders are suggesting that a demonstration of partnership (as well as worth/ outcomes etc) will stand you in good stead. My advice would therefore be to put the daggers away and start talking to others, including those you would have never previously considered as potential partners and, more importantly, those who have previously been your competitors. ‘New and improved’ sounds painfully cliché but that is the approach we will all have to take because the days of ‘the same old, same old’ are well and truly gone!

If you would like to participate in the budget setting exercise described above, please see the ‘Have your say >>Let's discuss’ section on the Herts Direct website. If you would like to contribute to the discussion about the future of the Health and Wellbeing Unit, please see the Consultations section of the Herts Direct website.

CSR 2010: A summary

By: COVER: Community & Voluntary Forum Eastern Region


The 20th has been and gone and the number-crunching has begun. The Government has announced that it will cut £81 billion from public spending, with 490,000 public sector jobs likely to go in the next four years. It plans for the structural deficit to be eliminated by 2015.

What do the cuts mean for the VCS?

The most significant announcement for the VCS is the £100m transition fund to support those Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) organisations most affected by public spending reductions in the short term. Details about how soon this fund will be available, how it will be administered and who will qualify have not been finalised, but some organisations have welcomed the announcement as government’s recognition that many of the cuts will have a significant effect on the sector.

Other references to the VCS:

• Local Authorities will be encouraged to increase their delivery of services through the VCS;
• a commitment to set proportions of appropriate services across the public sector that should be delivered by independent providers, such as the VCS, Social Enterprise and the private sector;
• mention of previously announced changes to Big Lottery funding; and
• reforms to the prison service which will include paying private and voluntary providers by results for delivering reductions in reoffending.

The report states that “The reforms underpinning the Spending Review represent a significant increase in the opportunities and funding available to the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in the medium and longer term.”

What do the cuts mean for the East of England?

• A £1.4 billion Regional Growth fund has been introduced.
• Capital investment programmes in the East of England will “concentrate on new investment on infrastructure underpinning economic growth, and maintaining existing public assets.” This will include upgrading the remaining section of the A11 to provide a continuous dual carriageway link between Norwich and the M11.
• Community budgets will be run in 16 local areas from April 2011, for families with complex needs.
• Funding for increased participation in education and training will benefit 5.9% of 16-18 year olds in the region that are not in Education, Employment or Training. The rise in the Basic State Pension will benefit around 1.1 million people in the region.
• The creation of a Green Investment Bank will encourage investment in green infrastructure and will be particularly important for the region’s offshore wind farm industry.
  

What do the cuts mean for Hertfordshire?
Details will be shared as they become available.


Useful links

For more information and to access the full document please visit the Treasury website.
NCVO response
IPPR response
The BBC’s ‘Spending Review in Graphics’
COVER website.

The 20th is nigh

By Ethel Bangwayo
Strategic Engagement Officer, Herts CVS

For those who may have not heard of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), a quick definition: A Spending Review is the government’s allocation of money to government departments, based on government priorities. The departments are then free to distribute the money as they see fit. The 20th of October 2010 is the date that has been set for the next CSR which is going to cover the four years from 2011/12 to 2014/15.

Given the recessionary environment and austerity measures, the 20th of October is being anticipated with a certain air of dread. While this is completely understandable, the optimist in me would like to believe that it may not spell the doom that it is expected to – if we maintain a sense of perspective, that is. This may not be a popular view however someone has to look on the bright side. Call me delusional if it helps.

Despite the optimism, I can’t help noticing that a lot of activity on the Funding/ Public Sector/ Contract renewal front seems to have ground to a halt with most keeping their cards very close to their chests. I suppose this too, is understandable given that nobody really knows what to expect. We may have broad ideas but the devil is truly in the detail. The words ‘calm before the storm’ come to mind. However, experts say that the centre (eye?) of the storm is the calmest place. I would like to suggest that a good strategy would be to move to the centre of the ‘ storm’ and become more involved with the bigger picture – partnerships (in whatever form) will become increasingly important and the strength that numbers can bring should not be underestimated. ‘Consortium’ is the new buzz word. ‘Vacuums’ have no place here – and I’m not referring to the Hoover!

Earlier this week, I heard someone say “we live in a world where opportunities are cunningly disguised as insoluble problems”. Priceless articulation of a well-known, but often forgotten fact. Hard times and times of change will inevitably throw up a number of opportunities. For example: Some Public sector organisations will be outsourcing elements of their services. Are there any services that your organisation (regardless of sector) would be able to provide better and most importantly, more efficiently? Cheaper doesn’t necessarily mean better. Credibility is key.

The Spending Review will also examine non-departmental spending that cannot be firmly fixed over a number of years, for instance: social security, tax credits, some elements of local authority spending and Lottery funding. Policy relating to some of these areas is already shrouded in controversy. The 20th will, hopefully, reveal all.

Sneak peek: As a result of a consultation, The Chancellor has announced three of the suggestions submitted by members of the public that will be taken forward:

• a more common sense approach to Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks for junior doctors thereby reducing the costs incurred by the NHS when a junior doctor moves position as part of their training;
• piloting an online auction site for surplus and second hand Government equipment, with the money made reinvested in public services; and
• replacing the plastic National Insurance number card with a letter reducing costs.
  

For everything else, we will have to wait until the 20th. Further details are available on The Treasury website. That’s the space to watch.

Small Groups Development

By Joanna Monks, Isobel Hatfield and Sue Jane O'Keefe

Herts Small Groups Development Workers.

Intro:

The Small Groups Development Worker (SGDW) project has been up and running since the end of September 2009. This BASIS 2 Project is funded by The Lottery for five years. There are four members of staff covering: North Herts (Anne Taylor), Stevenage (Jo Monks), Broxbourne & East Herts (Sue Jane O’Keefe) and Welwyn Hatfield and Hertsmere (Isobel Hatfield).

We work together to offer support, guidance and encouragement in starting or developing a community/voluntary group on issues of governance, confidence, understanding and knowledge, funding, charitable status, sustainability, forward planning and networking plus many more. The benefits of having four staff at different CVS locations across Hertfordshire are many. We can offer local knowledge, we are able to specialise in the needs of the local groups, we can share best practice and we then have other people to call on if we don’t have the answer to a query.

In terms of creating a cohesive and comprehensive service for the users, I believe we have been providing a valuable and accurate source of knowledge and signposting for the groups we deal with. We have each spread links into other local infrastructure organisations and often work with external partners such as the Funding Advice Network and other charities, to support our groups’ needs. We share experiences, advice and information so we can improve our services to the groups. Jo

Jo:

I work part-time, 2 days per week and have a wide range of groups that contact me, from many different cultural backgrounds and with a huge variety of focuses. Some are only at the start-up stage, others have been running for a while and are looking to develop into full blown Charities. All groups require a personal meeting to assess their needs, and it often helps to attend one of their meetings to gauge support, confidence levels and governance aptitudes.

The SGDW’s are endeavouring to record the development of the groups that we deal with to assess future requirements and improvements needed. Sometimes only a ‘light touch’ is needed, but commonly the groups need advice and guidance about their structure, governance and funding. Many groups need help writing a constitution document and setting up a committee structure. We offer this advice through meetings, site visits, email and phone.

Sue:

My support varies from low level information provision such as templates for policies and links to similar orgs, to full on intensive project support – an example is a LBGT youth group (unique in Herts) who wanted help with governance. Through my London links, I put them in touch with other groups & organisations they can affiliate to and gain knowledge and information from. Networking is a vital part of my role, connecting groups with organisations with which they can support each other, but which are not “in competition” for local funding. Another important role is to ensure that there is a need for the service or group – I carry out research to check that there is no duplication and I have linked one depression group with a drop in support group so that rather than set up as a separate group, they merged.

Another example is a creative awareness project for people with mental health issues – I have helped organise a guest speaker for the AGM for their homelessness project and I also arranged a book launch, and helped with marketing & outdoor events. I continue to offer high level support.

I am assisting 3 residents associations to get off the ground. One has since set up a shop on their estate which is a real community hub and is utilised by several organisations, as well as surgeries for police and local councillors. I assist youth groups, several BME OAP groups, some disabled groups, children’s groups, sports groups, sailing groups and more – extremely diverse!

Isobel:

At a recent meeting with my fellow SGDW’s, we concurred that we are all experiencing a high level of high demand for assistance from groups, without advertising our services.

We felt it would not be practicable to work with many more groups. Accordingly, I have implemented an ‘exit strategy’ in Welwyn/ Hatfield and Hertsmere for 35 groups in each area, that I have not had contact with for a few months. This frees me up to give the remaining 13 ‘live’ groups in Welwyn/Hatfield, and 12 ‘live’ groups in Hertsmere more in depth help.

For monitoring and evaluation purposes, groups are asked to do a self-evaluation before I work with them. I also do my own assessment, so that I may see what the differences are. The groups I have been working with are very diverse: from a BME after school club in Borehamwood to the HatfieldTownswomens Guild. So far, the majority of groups I have met with need advice on potential funding streams and governance. However, I am also being approached by groups outside my remit who want funding advice. These are signposted to the Funding Advice Network (FAN) which has close links with the Small Groups Developoment Workers . I am the SGDW representative on the FAN.

Final thoughts:

Being an SGDW is an amazing role as you really do get to see the ‘beating heart’ of the local community working together. I am always amazed at the amount of time and effort people are willing to give voluntarily to help set-up or run a group, often for the benefit of others. It is great to see that Hertfordshire is alive with individuals and small groups that are making the area we live and work a great place to be.

For further details, please email a member of the team at:

jo@stevenagecvs.org.uk

development@nhcvs.org.uk

isobel@communityactionhertsmere.org

sueJane@cvsbeh.org.uk

By Ethel Bangwayo
Herts CVS Group

In a recent speech, the Prime Minister has provided further details about the Big Society and its definition.

What is it?
A culture change where people don’t always turn to officials, local authorities or central government for answers, but instead feel free and empowered enough to help themselves and their communities.


Examples:

• People setting up schools
• Businesses helping to train people for work
• Charities rehabilitating offenders.
  

How will it work?
By devolving power from Whitehall to ‘the man and woman on the street’. It’s about people coming together and working together.

The rule
“If it unleashes community engagement – we should do it. If it crushes it – we shouldn’t”

The three strands

• Social action: Big Society will depend on people giving their time, effort and even money to causes around them. Government will, therefore, foster and support a new culture of volunteering, philanthropy and social action.
• Public service reform: “We’ve got to get rid of the centralised bureaucracy that wastes money and undermines morale”. Public services will be opened up to new providers like charities, social enterprises and private companies.
• Community empowerment: “We need to create communities with oomph – neighbourhoods who are in charge of their own destiny, who feel if they club together and get involved, they can shape the world around them”.
  
  

Methods

• Decentralisation: Pushing power away from central government to local government and even further, to ‘nano’ level - to communities, neighbourhoods and individuals.
• Transparency: Giving people the information that will enable them to play a bigger part in society. For example, by releasing precise data about where crimes have taken place on the streets. In this example, people can not only hold the police to account but also take action themselves eg. by forming a neighbourhood watch scheme, youth club, after school club etc depending on the cause of the trouble.
• Providing finance: Paying public service providers by results to encourage value for money and innovation. Government will intervene to ensure that smaller organisations are not excluded, for example by connecting private capital to investment in social projects.
  
  A Big Society Bank will be created (using dormant bank and building society money and private sector investment) to help finance social enterprises, charities and voluntary groups through intermediaries.
  

Vanguard Communities
Helped by officials from the Department of Communities and Local Government, four communities (in the Eden Valley in Cumbria, Windsor & Maidenhead, Sutton and Liverpool) have volunteered to pilot the concept of devolved power.

DCLG will also work with communities to help identify and fund a community organiser for each area. These will be trained people who know how to stimulate and organise local support for – and involvement in – community action.


Call to arms
If you’ve got an idea to make life better or if you want to improve your local area, the government wants you to let them know and they promise to “try and give you the tools to make [it] happen”.

For more information, please see the big Society website and blog.

Mind-boggling stuff!

By Ethel Bangwayo
Hertfordshire CVS Group

In recent weeks, most people will have been trying to make sense of the economy, the budget and new policies coming out of the government. I certainly have a number of thoughts running through my professional (as opposed to personal!) mind. Thoughts to do with:

• The economic environment and it’s impact on those with higher levels of deprivation
• Record unemployment and the worries that it has brought to many families up and down the country
• The tone of the emergency budget
• Public sector cuts and what they will ultimately mean for services
• The recently announced welfare cuts and what the implications of those will be
• The recently announced increases in fuel and other taxes.
  

The cuts announced in the budget will, no doubt, affect public service provision with an expectation that the Voluntary and Community Sector (VCS) will pick up some of the pieces. The Queen, in her speech, confirmed that the "role of social enterprises, charities and cooperatives in our public services will be enhanced". All this at a time when a good number of VCS organisations are already struggling to stay afloat. Then there is the 2.5% rise in VAT. If VCS leaders are unsuccessful in their lobby for a VAT exemption later this year, the effects will be significant. I’m sure the VCS is already doing the calculations.

Somewhere outside this box is a solution, but it is important to shake off the panic and begin to think seriously and innovatively about opportunities. I have heard some talk about Social Enterprise and the introduction of trading functions to VCS organisations. There has been talk about mergers. Others are taking a closer look at their partnerships and exploring opportunities there, while yet others are exploring the sharing of back office functions. Now is not the time to be territorial – there is definitely strength in numbers. Yes, there will be organisations that will be unable to keep going but let it not be for a lack of trying.

Big society will be a core part of public and voluntary sector work but what does it mean? As details emerge, it will be worth thinking about how it relates to your organisation and what role you can play in delivering the agenda. In some cases, it will be these considerations that will widen the gap between the proverbial rock and that hard place, providing room for manoeuvre. It was encouraging to hear the Queen acknowledge that the VCS "… will need to receive the right support and resources, if they are to play their full role in civil society and to deliver high quality, responsive public services”. It will be interesting to see what that support looks like. Watch this space!

For further details about the budget, see the HM Treasury website.

Further details about the Big Society are available on the Big Society website and blog.

The winds of change ....

By Ethel Bangwayo
Herts CVS Group

The new government has announced a number of changes that will affect both statutory and VCS ways of working. Details are still hazy and there has been speculation about some funding streams possibly being under threat. It is hoped that the emergency budget (due to be announced on the 22nd of June) will provide some clarity.

Meanwhile, the county has received confirmation that the LAA1 Performance Reward Grant (PRG) has been halved which effectively means that the second tranche of the reward money (due March 2011) will not proceed. However, the £8.7 million that has already been received is safe and the county still stands to receive half of the additional circa £4million generated by late LAA1 targets.

Another change that has taken effect is the abolition of the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA), effective May 2010. The Audit Commission has reported that:

• All work on updating the area assessment and organisational assessment will cease with immediate effect. These assessments on the One Place website will therefore not be updated.
• The joint inspectorates will not be reporting new red or green flags in the area assessment nor updating the text around existing flags.
• The Audit Commission will not be issuing new scores for the use of resources assessments (for councils), the managing performance assessments or the overall organisational assessments.

This has come as a disappointment to some, as a lot of time and effort had been spent on self assessments and related activity. All is not lost however, as these assessments provide a timely planning tool given that the countywide Sustainable Communities Strategy is in the process of being refreshed. The Hertfordshire County and District self-assessments have, therefore, been compiled into a 'Hertfordshire Forward Annual report 2010 ' which will be made available on the Herts Forward website.

Speaking of the SCS refresh, the first of three Herts Forward events was held on the 14th of June to start the process. The Herts Forward core group and other partners met to consider progress and identify priorities going forward. Further details are available from ben.wood@hertscc.gov.uk.

We will also be setting sail in the winds of change and making changes to the My Herts LAA website and blog to reflect national changes and provide a more accurate reflection of thriving third sector work and outcomes in Hertfordshire. The first of these will be a name change to ‘My Herts Together’. Changes will take effect over the next few weeks.

For further details, please email ethbang@stevenagecvs.solis.co.uk

Building the Big Society

By Ethel Bangwayo
Strategic Engagement Officer, Herts CVS

The government has published details of the proposed ‘Big Society’ initiative which seeks to “put more power and opportunity into people’s hands”.

‘Big Society’ will have a number of strands as follows:

Give communities more powers

Neighbourhoods will be empowered to shape the places in which they live, communities will be able to bid to take over local state-run services and community organisers and groups will be strengthened.

Encourage people to take an active role in their communities

Support will be provided for volunteering and measures will be put in place to encourage charitable giving. The flagship National Citizen Service project will provide 16 year olds with a chance to develop the skills needed “to be active and responsible citizens, mix with people from different backgrounds, and start getting involved in their communities”.

Transfer power from central to local government

This includes a review of local government finance. Regional Spatial Strategies will be abolished and councils will be given more decision-making powers.

Support co-ops, mutuals, charities and social enterprises

The government will support the creation and expansion of charities, social enterprises, mutuals and co-operatives. Public sector workers will have a new right to form employee-owned co-operatives and bid to take over services they deliver.

Money from dormant bank accounts will be used to establish a Big Society Bank which will provide funding for the Third Sector and other non-governmental bodies.

Publish government data

A ‘right to data’ will be created so that government datasets can be requested and used by the public. Police will also be obliged to publish detailed crime statistics every month.

For full details of the Big Society and other initiatives, please see the Cabinet Office website.

Thriving Third Sector Guide

By Ethel Bangwayo

Strategic Engagement Officer: Herts CVS Group

The Office of the Third Sector (OTS) has produced a Thriving Third Sector ‘user guide’, a compilation of ideas for improving the environment for a thriving Third Sector. It is envisaged that the guide will be useful for both the statutory and the third sector.

The report identifies five major issues affecting the environment in which the Third Sector can thrive:

• Strengthening partnership working
  Many agencies deal with numerous Third Sector organisations through their front-line staff but do not look at these relationships strategically. Engaging with the Third Sector may not be a matter of new obligations but of improving existing relationships and becoming more aware of the role they play in facilitating the particular service they are concerned with.
  
• Improving communication and influence
  ‘Third sector representatives carry far more weight with LSP partners when they are accountable to the wider sector, and they have a greater legitimacy when they have consulted and communicated widely …. Representatives with an authoritative voice … strengthen the sector’s participation in LSPs …’
  Source: Communities and Local Government (CLG), OTS and National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) Principles of Representation, CLG 2008
  
• Bringing hidden contact alive
  NI7 survey results suggest that while a good central strategy at the LSP level is vital, it is not a substitute for positive high quality direct relationships between every public sector agency and third sector organisations. Relationships with councillors are also part of this role.
  
• Supporting the whole sector, especially smaller groups
  Local Authorities should consider how they can provide more effective community development support, either directly or through Third Sector facilities, to build up the strength of local community groups. This could be by better training for community development or use of a wide variety of empowerment techniques, strengthening community groups to build up social capital, community cohesion and community influence (CLG, 2008).
  
• Improving the funding relationship and economic dimension
  Decision-making on financial aspects of Third Sector activity should also link strongly with influence, communication and consultation. Third Sector bodies need to be given the opportunity to share in decision-making when times are hard, just as much as other times. Experience within the sector is an important consideration to help ensure that maximum value is obtained from limited resources.
  

Click here to view and/ or download the full report. Alternatively, please see the My Herts LAA website.

Getting along together

The new Hertfordshire Equalities Council (HEC) – the first of its kind in the country - was launched earlier this month and is a demonstration of how a cross-sector partnership can be successful in blazing a trail on a topical issue.

The idea of ‘people from different backgrounds getting along well together’ is growing in importance nationally, and in recognition of this, an Equalities Council has been launched in the county. In addition, a Cohesion Strategy is currently being compiled and work is alsobeing done under the banner of the LAA’s National Indicator 4, to deliver activity that promotes cohesion.

HEC will promote equality and human rights, to create a fairer Hertfordshire. The idea is to do this by providing advice and guidance to implement an effective equality strategy. A diverse partnership has already been formed to help set the foundations and core members will be co-opted over time. Interested parties are encouraged to get in touch.

HEC seeks to provide:

• A contribution to building stronger and more cohesive communities across Hertfordshire


• Independent engagement with communities


• Advice and support to victims of discrimination and harassment


• Support and challenge to organisations around equality, diversity and community cohesion issues


• Increased public awareness of diversity, equality and community cohesion.

If you would like further information or support, please contact email faizal.hakim@cdaforherts.org.uk or call 01707 695522.

Making a difference locally

By Geoff Brown: Senior Project Manager, Herts Local Initiative (Herts County Council).

More than 200 groups have been able to help their local communities, thanks to money from a new County Council scheme.

All over Hertfordshire, worthwhile projects are being given a funding boost through the Locality Budget Scheme. Each of the 77 county Councillors has £10,000 to spend on community schemes in their area.

Most Councillors have now allocated their entire budget but the scheme has been such as success that it will be run again from April and interested groups can apply now.

Awarded grants include:

• £1000 to the Friends of Victoria House Day Centre to create a sensory garden for elderly people in Watford


• £1500 to Royston Tennis Club towards six new courts and floodlighting


• £500 to Potters Bar District Guides towards their centenary weekend celebrations


• £1000 to Kings Walden Parish Council to restart a youth club at Breachwood Green.


• £1100 to the St Albans South Extended School Consortium towards bicycles, helmets and a storage building for its safe cycling scheme.

Grant funding has also been used to pay for a microphone system at meetings for elderly members of Sandridge Silver Threads; to help towards the start-up costs of Welwyn Community Café, and to fund a Christmas meal prepared by young people for senior citizens in Shenley.

Councillor Richard Roberts, Executive Member for Performance and Partnerships, said: “These groups play a vital role in their local community and this funding scheme is a great way for councillors to give a helping hand. We’ve cut out a lot of red tape and made it easier for people to ask for help.”

For more information on how to apply, visit www.hertsdirect.org and type 'locality budgets' into the search box. Alternatively, please click here.

Hertfordshire: A view of the 'Place'

By Keith Shephard, Head of Herts County Council's Strategic Partnerships Unit.

In December the Audit Commission published the so called ‘Area Assessment’ of Hertfordshire on their ‘One Place’ website.

This is part of the Commission’s national role in putting areas under the microscope considering evidence, testing priorities and seeing how well local organisations are working together to maintain and improve the quality of life for residents.

All parts of the Hertfordshire Forward partnership family worked with the Commission to help shape the Assessment, which is intended to give any member of the public an insight into what the county is like.

Overall, the Area Assessment states that Hertfordshire is a good place to live, where residents are healthy and prosperous, where children achieve in school, and where older people are looked after well and helped to live independently. However, there are areas in the County which are less prosperous, and where outcomes for residents are not as good. Tackling inequalities has been identified area for further attention.

A brief summary of the Audit Commission’s Area Assessment by countywide theme is provided below:

A. Children and Young People

Children and young people in Hertfordshire generally have a good start in life. On average they are healthy, achieve good results at school and will be unlikely to experience financial hardship or deprivation. Partners in Hertfordshire are committed to ‘narrowing the gap' between the experiences of children and young people in different parts of the county.

B. Jobs, Prosperity and Skills

Hertfordshire is a relatively wealthy, prosperous area, where earnings are generally higher than average and unemployment is lower. The economy is resilient and stable, and people are generally well qualified and well skilled. There are few areas of deprivation in the county, although this has increased. Hertfordshire has not been as badly affected by the recession as other areas and the response is gathering pace. Partners have signed up to a ‘Recession Pledge' and have allocated £4million to a ‘recession to recovery' programme.

C. Healthier Communities and Older People

People tend to live longer, and enjoy healthier lives than average, with better life expectancy, higher rates of exercise, and lower instances obesity and alcohol-related illnesses. However, there are significant health inequalities in the County with people in the more deprived areas experienced poorer health outcomes. Plans are in place for partners to address these inequalities. Older people in Hertfordshire are reasonably well looked after in Hertfordshire. Care for older people is generally good, enabling many to live independently in their own homes.

D. Safer and Stronger Communities

Hertfordshire is generally a safe area to live. Overall, crime rates are low compared to national averages and have been falling consistently. Despite this, more residents are concerned about crime than is the case in similar areas. Also, parts of the county do have higher levels of crime, particularly Watford, Broxbourne and Stevenage. East Hertfordshire and Three Rivers districts have very low crime rates. The police, councils, the probation service and the voluntary sector have worked in partnership to make Hertfordshire a safer and stronger place.

E. Transport, Access and Sustainable Development

Traffic levels are thirty five per cent higher than the national average. As a result, traffic congestion is a major concern for residents. Road traffic levels across the county are falling slowly.

Local authorities are reducing the amount of waste going to landfill sites and there are ambitious plans to reduce this further. The countywide recycling rate is higher than average and improving. However, overall levels of waste per household remain high. Hertfordshire is making progress on tackling climate change. CO2 levels per head are below the regional average.

F. Better Places to Live

Hertfordshire is an attractive place to live, and residents enjoy a good quality of life, with areas of natural beauty, parks and open spaces. The requirement to develop new homes, and new jobs, creates a tension with sustaining that quality of life.

A ‘red flag’ has been awarded for ‘planning for new housing’ because there is not a comprehensive assessment of what Hertfordshire’s housing needs are and the range of organisations involved in housing provision have not effectively coordinated their work to produce clear plans for how housing needs in Hertfordshire are going to be met.

The Hertfordshire Forward Core Group will respond to the challenges presented in the report, though there is much to celebrate too.

For further information contact the County Council’s Strategic Partnership Unit on 01992 555252..

In search of that elusive green flag

Unfortunately Hertfordshire did not get any green flags in the last inspection of public service delivery (also called the Comprehensive Area Assessment or CAA). Our search for a green flag has therefore, taken us across the border to Essex which is being held up as a beacon of best practice for their Response to Recession programme. The programme is made up of a number of strands across the county including:

Banking on Essex, a programme designed to reduce the effects of the recession on local people. Under this initiative, the County Council has partnered with Santander (formerly called Abbey National) to support businesses affected by reduced bank credit. In the first month of operation, the partnership distributed £220,000 worth of loans.

The Post Office Initiative, a high profile initiative to support the reopening of village post offices. Post offices are being saved and turned into community information points. This allows people to use a range of services provided by partners in addition to post office services. It is expected that a total of 14 Post Offices will be part of the scheme by Spring 2010.

Business Health clinics. Basildon District Council is working with the private sector eg. Accountants and banks, giving advice and support to small businesses.

Other support activity around the county:

· Rebates to pension
· Mobile advice service
· Information leaflets
· Redundancy advice line
· Debt clinics
· Supporting Essex attractions
· Apprenticeships and others.

For information about other Green Flag in the East of England, see the Improvement East website. For information about countrywide (including Hertfordshire’s) CAA performance, see the Audit Commission’s One Place website.