Supporting voluntary and community action April/May/June 2015 Bristol - a learning city Volunteers’ Week May’s elections - our local parties’ intentions for our sector A look at social prescribing Upcoming training and more... In this issue: Photo: Local young person involved in APE Project’s Bike Exchange Scheme. For more information about APE, see p8.
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
Supporting voluntary and community action April/May/June 2015
Bristol - a learning city
Volunteers’ Week
May’s elections - our local parties’ intentions for our sector
A look at social prescribing
Upcoming training
and more...
In this issue:
Photo: Local young person involved in APE Project’s Bike Exchange Scheme. For more information about APE, see p8.
www.voscur.org April / May / June 2015 Issue 282
Contents
Disclaimer: some of the views expressed in this publication are those of individual contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of Voscur. Publications, events and services mentioned in Thrive! are not necessarily endorsed by Voscur.
Voscur
3 Editorial
4 New members
5 Member focus - “Think Big” - Friends of Headley Lane Park
6 Neighbourhood focus: Dundry View
7 Bristol launches ‘Batook’s Blueprint’ - a Manifesto for Race Equality
8-9 Grasping the nettle - support around volunteering for groups running sustainability projects
10 Celebrating our city’s fantastic volunteers
11 Stronger together - a look at Voscur and Volunteer Bristol’s new joint membership scheme
Support Hub
12-13 Upcoming Voscur training
14 Embracing change - local organisation has support from Voscur to take its next steps
Voice and Influence
15 Putting victims first
17 ‘This is me’ - interview with a VCS Advocate
18 Bristol: a learning city
19-23 Thinking outside the box - May’s elections and the voluntary and community sector
24-25 A united voice is a stronger voice - Bristol BME Voice’s Knowledge and Share Programme
26-27 Just what the doctor ordered - a look at social prescribing in Bristol
28-30 City devolution and communities
31 Think local - Neighbourhood Partnerships’ conference February 2015
Thrive! is also available online as a pdf at www.voscur.org/magazine.
If you require it in another format, please get in touch on 0117 909 9949.
Key to symbols
Event
Training Information & Resources
Issue 28 April / May / June 2015 www.voscur.org 3
Bristol’s voluntary and community
sector (VCS) works with and
supports some of the most
vulnerable people in the city.
We do this by anticipating and
responding to need, standing
up for social justice and equality,
being creative, innovative, frugal,
maximising resources, involving
volunteers, and not giving up.
Voscur is a member of Navca,
a network of VCS organisations
operating across the country,
carrying out important behind-
the-scenes work to support this
frontline activity.
In this time of austerity, funders
are understandably keen to
protect frontline services, with
infrastructure sometimes not
seen as a key element of that
protection. Recognising this,
Navca set up an independent
commission to look at the future
of voluntary sector infrastructure.
The Commission’s report, ‘Change
Dear members and friendsfor Good’, was published in
January 2015.
The Commission argues that it
is generally understood that our
physical infrastructure requires
regular investment to help it cope
with new and changing demands
- the case for investment in
VCS infrastructure is just as
compelling.
The research shows that
infrastructure will be needed, as
long as people come together
to form VCS groups. New groups
and existing ones will need advice
on legal forms, governance,
compliance, fundraising and
income generation, financial
and organisational management
and demonstrating their value.
Additionally, an independent voice
for and of the sector is vital.
The Commission identified a
number of key challenges for
social action; we’ve highlighted
some of them here – they’re
probably familiar to you too:
• Coping with the problems
of today leaves no time for
foresight.
• Direct financial support to
organisations is declining,
while demand is increasing.
• New forms of organising and
advancing social causes are
emerging.
• Cashless and informal
economies are growing but
need more support.
• Lack of capacity is placing
governance, leadership and
succession planning under
strain.
• Poor inter-sector
understanding is resulting in
lost opportunities.
• Too few infrastructure bodies
and local groups demonstrate
impact.
• Understanding of new forms
of finance is weak.
The Commission addresses these
issues in its recommendations,
and these will inform our future
plans. The Commission’s findings
will be combined with Voscur’s
local knowledge of capacity and
need across the VCS in Bristol
to give direction and focus to
our work to ensure that we are
effective in the challenging times
ahead.
To read the Commission’s report
in full, go to: www.navca.org.uk/
commission-report
Best wishes,
Wendy Stephenson Chief Executive
www.voscur.org April / May / June 2015 Issue 284
New Voscur members
For more information on becoming
a member of Voscur and the range
of member benefits, see p11, visit
www.voscur.org/about/joiningonline
or call us on 0117 909 9949.
Buzz Lockleaze A social enterprise which runs an employability
project; does work around food and healthy eating
and is developing a community food shop and
coffee/smoothie bar. www.northbristoladvice.org.uk/community-projects/buzz-lockleaze
Radio Lollipop volunteers at the Bristol Royal Children’s Hospital provide care, comfort, play and entertainment to sick children in hospital
Issue 28 April / May / June 2015 www.voscur.org 11
short-term strength and longer-
term sustainability. Not only does
our merger enhance the network
you are directly connected to for
collaboration and advocacy, but
membership fees remain no more
than 0.5% of your annual income.
We’re also launching some exciting
new services for 2015, including:
• More targeted funding
support: www.voscur.org/fars
• Low-cost volunteer
management training to
support your involvement in
Green Capital.
• Additional HR support to help
recruit and develop the staff,
volunteers and trustees your
organisation needs.
Working in partnership is a
defining characteristic of
our sector and it’s helping to
achieve great things in Bristol.
For example, we are starting to
close the gaps between different
systems that support people
with complex needs (Golden Key),
address social isolation in our older
communities (Ageing Better), fight
to not just eliminate racism but
create equality of opportunity
(Manifesto for Race Equality) and
ensure that economic growth
includes, rather than excludes,
disadvantaged communities
(Local Enterprise Partnership
investment).
These schemes are possible
because, as well as our individual
and organisational loyalties, we’re
also part of something bigger,
and tapping in to that makes us
all stronger, smarter and more
influential.
One of Voscur’s key roles is to
offer local groups the chance to
benefit from our community of
peer members. We help establish
and maintain relationships built
around common goals and values,
then turn those relationships into
action and, if that is what our
communities need, collaboration.
Doing this more responsively and
effectively was a primary reason
for Volunteer Bristol and Voscur’s
merger a year ago. In 2014 our
separate membership schemes
ran in parallel as we integrated
services and systems. This year we
will consolidate membership into a
single joint scheme that gives you
access to a larger, more diverse
network of peers and a range of
new member benefits.
What’s changing?
We’re combining membership
benefits to create the best-value
investment in terms of your
For more details, go
to www.voscur.org/
membership2015
Stronger togetherA look at Voscur and Volunteer Bristol’s new joint membership scheme
Ph
oto b
y Ro
bert Lo
uis C
lemen
s CC B
Y-ND
2.0
www.voscur.org April / May / June 2015 Issue 2812
Upcoming Voscur trainingPreparing your Accounts for your End of Year ReportThursday 16 April 2015, 9:30am - 3:30pm
This course is designed to identify key areas associated
with the production of statutory accounts for those
who have had limited exposure to this specialist area.
Safeguarding and WhistleblowingThursday 30 April 2015, 9:30am - 1pm
How do you manage issues of safeguarding in your
organisation? Do you have a whistleblowing policy?
How are concerns shared and how are decisions
made about escalating whistleblowing processes?
This training will answer the above questions, help you
identify steps to take when issues arise, and inform
you about how to develop and maintain relationships
with Bristol City Council staff and the support they can
offer to help you meet good practice standards and
legislation.
Being a Good TrusteeThursday 23 April 2015, 6pm - 9pm Tuesday 9 June 2015, 9:30am – 12:30pm
Governance has never been more crucial; in challenging
times, a strong board is essential to survive and thrive.
Yet many trustees are unclear of their duties and
boundaries with staff. This course sets out trustee roles
and responsibilities and suggests tools to help ensure
your board leads your organisation’s impact.
Contracts of Employment – How to Get it RightWednesday 13 May 2015, 9:30am - 1pm
Organisations are only as effective as the staff that
work for them, and employment contracts should help
both employers and employees get the most out of
their relationship. This course will help you create, alter
and end employment contracts using procedures that
comply with all the relevant legislation and treat staff
as people, not just ‘human resources’. This course is
being delivered by ACAS.
Working Together to Prevent and Support Young People Being Drawn into Terrorism and ExtremismThursday 14 May 2015, 9:30am – 12:30pm
The workshop builds our understanding of how young
people can become radicalised and be vulnerable to
extreme views and actions which could lead to acts of
violent extremism. Practitioners working with young
people may well become aware of changes and signs
that might indicate the early stages of vulnerability
to extremism. This workshop will enable practitioners
from all agencies to recognise signs, to know what
action to take in response to concerns, and to cascade
the learning to others in their teams.
Finance Forum - Insurance for Voluntary Sector OrganisationsTuesday 2 June 2015, 1:30pm - 3:30pm
This session will cover the reasons why VCS
organisations need to consider insurance; the legislative
requirements; the types of insurance cover required
(including good practice measures in undertaking risk
assessments); and where and how to obtain suitable
quotations. This course will be delivered by Martin
Ladbrook, of Ladbrook - specialist advisers to the
voluntary and community sector.
Minute Taking for AdministratorsWednesday 3 June and Wednesday 10 June, 9:30am - 1pm (course over two half-day sessions)
All organisations need accurate records of meetings.
They are essential if teams, committees and boards are
to have a clear account of the decisions made and the
actions required. The aim of this course is to provide
you with tools to ‘minute’ with confidence.
Issue 28 April / May / June 2015 www.voscur.org 13
Writing Small Fundraising BidsThursday 4 June 2015, 9:30am – 3.30pm
Make it easy for funders to say “yes” to your bids.
Whether you want £200 for a community event or
£2,000 for new equipment for your services, you need
a strong, clear proposal. This one-day course will take
you through the essentials for writing a strong bid
that’s appealing to funders, and how to avoid the most
common pitfalls.
Introduction to Time ManagementWednesday 17 June 2015, 9:30am - 1pm
Do you find that there are not enough hours in a day?
Are you always rushing around? You may think that
you don’t have time to attend this course, but you’d
be wrong! Take half a day out of your schedule to learn
how to identify your bad habits, reduce stress (using
proven time-management techniques) and discover
how to manage that daily flood of e-mails.
Being an Even Better TrusteeThursday 18 June 2015, 6pm - 9pm
Focused on governance, managing risk, effective
meetings and how to make the most of the skills in
your trustee team, this course is designed to support
your development beyond the basics of being on a
board.
Telling Your StoryThursday 25 June 2015, 9:30am - 1pm
This practical workshop will equip attendees with the
correct tools to be able to communicate effectively
with a range of audiences, from members of the public
to stakeholders and beyond. Attendees will be able to
try their hand at various disciplines and will be offered
advice on PR, marketing, social media and website
management.
Early-bird rates available!
To book your place or to find out more,
please go to: www.supporthub.org.uk/
training-hub or call us on: 0117 909 9949.
Doing ‘green’ work/running a project around sustainability?
Find out more about a range of courses that are taking place around volunteering between April and July 2015 on p8-9.
Trustee NetworkWednesday 1 July 2015, 6pm - 8pm
The Trustee Network is open to any trustees, from the
brand new to the very experienced. As well as a short
presentation on a relevant topic, Trustee Network
meetings offer a chance to meet other trustees and
share good practice.
How Decisions are Made in the CityWednesday 8 July 2015, 12pm – 2pm
Bristol has a number of locally based institutions
making decisions which have an impact on our
communities. As VCS activists, do you understand what
these organisations are and how they make decisions?
This session will inform you about our elected Mayor,
Bristol Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), business-led
bodies such as the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)
and how they make decisions.
Evidence and Intelligence to Support Funding Bids – How Can Council Data Help?Thursday 9 July 2015, 9:30am - 1pm
This course can help enhance your funding applications
and project planning. It offers a chance to look in
more depth at the range of data and intelligence freely
available online via the City Council and how to make
best use of it. This course is being delivered by Bristol City Council.
www.voscur.org April / May / June 2015 Issue 2814
local people, and is willing to
take on constructive feedback
and embrace change,” says
Steve Watters, Support Hub
Development Worker at Voscur.
“I am sure lots of local people will
benefit from the new services.”
The Lockleaze Hub is now open,
with lots of activities each week
for the community as well as
rooms for hire. The organisation
continues to develop and there
are more exciting plans for the
future in the pipeline.
Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust
(LNT) is a local charity run by
residents and professionals to
help improve quality of life in
Lockleaze. They achieve this by
working to bring better services to
the area and building public pride
and community spirit.
Richard Reddrop, Chair of Trustees
at LNT, approached Voscur last
year for support as LNT prepared
for the move to a new community
hub. “As an organisation we had
been a little consumed by the
process of planning and building a
new community centre – and now
wanted a development plan to
drive us forward,” he said.
Following an organisational ‘health
check’, Voscur worked with LNT to
produce an action plan, breaking
the work into clear steps for the
trustees and staff at LNT to tackle.
Our first step was to work
with trustees to review the
organisation’s strategy, and a key
action for LNT was to listen to
the views of local people. Voscur
helped to design a survey to find
out about local views and needs.
“We sent out the survey to all our
partners and users, asking about
their perception of LNT, what they
valued and what they felt needed
to change,” said Richard.
Once some of the key themes
of this listening exercise became
clear, the organisation could start
further strategic planning with
Voscur’s advice and support.
We also gave advice on the
development of the board of
trustees through training and
recruiting new members. This led
to new people with relevant skills
joining the board and a plan for
future development.
Following Voscur’s support, LNT
restructured the staff roles and
gained funding for new projects
including the promotion of social
inclusion in the community.
“It’s great to be able to work
with an organisation that wants
to make a difference, listens to
Could Voscur’s
Suppot Hub help your
organisation? Get in
touch on: 0117 909 9949
Embracing change
Charlotte Leslie MP and Mayor George Ferguson officially open ‘The Hub’ community centre in Lockleaze with the help of some local children and volunteers.
Local organisation has support from Voscur to take its next steps
Issue 28 April / May / June 2015 www.voscur.org 15
Police and Crime Commissioner
(PCC) Sue Mountstevens set a
clear priority in her Police and
Crime Plan to ensure that victims
are at the heart of the criminal
justice process. As part of that
commitment, over the last year
the Office of the Police and Crime
Commissioner (OPCC) has been
working hard to put in place local
support services for victims of
crime and anti-social behaviour
(ASB).
When the Integrated Victim
Strategy was published,
recognising the importance
of working with providers and
partners, two of the key principles
were that the approach should be
consultative and collaborative. This
meant that we aimed to enrich
our process with the knowledge,
expertise and experience of
voluntary and community sector
(VCS) providers, partners and
other stakeholders from the very
start.
The OPCC has worked with the
VCS in a number of ways:
Consultation – we consulted on
our commissioning intentions
both online and in person from
February to May 2014. This
allowed the team to attend and
co-host a number of meetings
and events with the VCS.
Ultimately, it was this feedback
that enabled us to publish a
clear commissioning plan, which
responded to individual comments
and outlined the changes we had
made in response.
Market events – we hosted two
market events which gave us the
opportunity to answer questions
from potential providers, better
understand their views (and
service user needs), and make
clear our vision for victim services.
Purchasing methods –
recognising the importance of
smaller specialist services and
providers, the OPCC uses its
funding in a variety of ways,
opening up opportunities to the
market.
Updates – we continually sought
to keep stakeholders - including
VCS organisations and providers
- up to date with publications,
events and decisions.
Next steps…
We are now working with our
new providers, alongside criminal
justice and other partners, to
realise the PCC’s ambition. As
a relatively new commissioning
body, we are keen to continue
working in this way and to evolve
our working relationship with
partners and the VCS to bring
about the very best outcomes for
Avon and Somerset.
VCS groups can read the PCC’s
‘VCSE Charter’ online (goo.gl/
KTW2oD) and are welcome to get
in touch with the PCC’s Custody
Visiting and VCSE Officer, Anna
Hill, by emailing: Anna.Hill@
avonandsomerset.pnn.police.uk
Putting victims first
Read the PCC’s
full Police and
Crime plan at:
www.avonandsomerset-pcc.
gov.uk/
Article written by Alice Jones, Grants Officer and Violence Against Women and Children Champion, Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office.
Local organisation has support from Voscur to take its next steps
a new approach for support services
putting victims first
#whyvotebristol15Ask your parliamentary candidates how they will represent your needs and aspirations if they are elected ...
On Thursday 7 May there is a General Election and everyone will have the chance to vote for an MP to represent them in Parliament. Bristol West will be a close competition between the candidates. Book your place at goo.gl/7IzCfT
Thursday 16 April6 - 8pm
Trinity CentreSend us your questions by 10 April
Book your place
#whyvotebristol15 gov.uk/register-to-vote
S u p p o r t i n g V o l u n t a r y A c t i o n
Celebrating twenty
years!
We are now collecting questions to ask at the event. If you have a question you want candidates to answer, send it to [email protected] or [email protected]
We’ll choose a good mix to cover a range of subjects. There will be time on the night for questions from the audience.
Send your questions
Organised by:
For more information: 0117 909 9949 0117 954 2834
Issue 28 April / May / June 2015 www.voscur.org 17
There are opportunities that
young people don’t even know
exist – it’s about making them
understand that people aren’t
going to knock on your door and
invite you, but you can apply like
everyone else and they will snatch
your hand off! I’m on a governing
body for a local school. I say,
“You’re over 18 now, you can go
and be a governor in a school.”
It wouldn’t be something they’d
ever considered.
When you’re younger you
perhaps feel that you haven’t
got anything to give or
anything to say, but actually, it is
a really valuable insight that young
people can bring – we need young
people to be more involved in
local decision making.
Ultimately I would like to see
them being the VCS Advocates.
When they see someone they
know and trust doing things, they
are more likely to follow when
those opportunities come up.
My favourite spot in Bristol
is Brandon Hill. You only know
about it if you’re a Bristolian really.
Tourists walking up Park Street
wouldn’t even know it’s there. I
love all the history around it - the
uprisings of the working classes in
the 1800s.
Words are cheap and easy to
say; what’s important is the way
people act.
My relationships have got to
add something to my life; they
have to bring something that isn’t
already there and I haven’t already
got. They have to enrich and not
drain.
I have been a fan of snooker
from a young age. Anyone who
remembers Pot Black will get the
idea…I have been around the
country to watch it live. It’s a fiver
and you get 4-5 hours of live sport
– now that’s value for money!
There are things that need
to be changed in the world,
particularly around injustice
and inequality. It is about
standing up and speaking out –
not everybody is able to.
As you get older you can get
caught up in the systems,
the bureaucracy – you can get
battered down a bit; not speak up,
not speak out. But young people
don’t have that, they have a real
sense of justice, and it is really
empowering to see them using
that as a group of young people
to make changes. The young
people at Integrate have achieved
great changes in a short amount
of time and that drives me to do
the work I do.
Get more
information about
our VCS Advocates,
watch video updates
and find out how to get
in touch with them at:
www.voiceandinfluence.org.
uk/advocates
This is meChristine Townsend is the VCS Advocate on the Bristol Safeguarding Children Board. With a background in education, she has a strong interest in safeguarding and empowering young people. Christine is co-founder and trustee at Integrate Bristol, a charity working with young people on projects that promote equality and integration in our communities. Here is a flavour of what she does and who she is...
#whyvotebristol15Ask your parliamentary candidates how they will represent your needs and aspirations if they are elected ...
On Thursday 7 May there is a General Election and everyone will have the chance to vote for an MP to represent them in Parliament. Bristol West will be a close competition between the candidates. Book your place at goo.gl/7IzCfT
Thursday 16 April6 - 8pm
Trinity CentreSend us your questions by 10 April
Book your place
#whyvotebristol15 gov.uk/register-to-vote
S u p p o r t i n g V o l u n t a r y A c t i o n
Celebrating twenty
years!
We are now collecting questions to ask at the event. If you have a question you want candidates to answer, send it to [email protected] or [email protected]
We’ll choose a good mix to cover a range of subjects. There will be time on the night for questions from the audience.
Article written by Paul Jacobs, Service Director Education and Skills, Bristol City Council, who tells us what it means to be a ‘learning city’
Mentors from BYEP, working on enterprise ideas with young people.
Photo by Monkey Boy42 CC BY-NC 2.0
In the run-up to May’s general election, Voscur will be partnering with other organisations and agencies in the city to raise vital awareness in our communities about how to make your vote count. To kick things off, we approached the four main parties in the city and asked them what their party will be doing locally to assist in the support and development of the city’s voluntary and community sector - here is what they said...
Photo taken at Voscur’s ‘Feeling Bristolian’ Bristol BME Conference in 2014
“A great platform to raise issues or concerns, I am grateful for the opportunity.”
www.voscur.org April / May / June 2015 Issue 2826
‘Social prescribing’ refers to a
formal process of enabling general
practitioners (GPs), practice
nurses and other health care
practitioners to refer patients to a
range of holistic, local, non-clinical
services to help their wellbeing.
There is no uniform agreement,
but the main elements of social
prescribing are usually:
• Formalised referral
mechanisms from GP/
Primary Care to a ‘community
connector’ (or other such
named person), who identifies
a range of activities and
organisations suitable for the
patient.
• Excellent knowledge of local
supportive organisations and
activities.
• A holistic approach to
identifying appropriate
services (the ‘prescription’).
• Reports back to the GP/health
practitioner regarding the
‘prescription’.
• Encouragement for patients to
help them play a central role in
managing their own care.
Some social prescribing projects
refer to a limited range of
activities whilst others refer to
a wide range of activities. Social
prescribing might be offered to all
patients, but usually it works with
patients who:
• Have mental health problems.
• Are vulnerable/at-risk.
• Are frequent attenders of GP
practices/clinics.
• Are socially isolated.
• Have untreatable or poorly
understood long-term
conditions.
• Are not benefitting from
clinical medicine/drug
treatment.
What’s been happening in Bristol?
Holistic assessments and
preventative approaches are
common in the voluntary and
community sector (VCS). Bristol
City Council, Bristol Clinical
Commissioning Group and the
likes of the Big Lottery Fund have
funded a wide range of social
prescribing-type services for some
years.
In November 2013, Bristol’s Health
and Wellbeing Board considered
a report on social prescribing in
Bristol (the Kimberlee report).
They agreed that a pooled
budget should be established
with appropriate commissioning
arrangements in order to develop
and extend the provision in Bristol.
The Joint Commissioning Group
met, but a joint commissioning
plan did not materialise. There are
probably three reasons for this:
1) Right idea, wrong time -
given the redesign of Public
Health in Bristol, the absence of
a permanent Public Health lead
and massive pressures on local
authority budgets, it was not the
best time for social prescribing.
2) Understanding evidence
- social prescribing suffers
from what might be described
as ‘evidential biases’. Rules
of evidence for short-term
interventions do not fit for
preventative work with a
longer time span. Sometimes
it is not clear if it is the social
prescribing mechanism or a
particular intervention that is
being evaluated. The Kimberlee
report concluded that a variety
of evaluation tools were used in
Bristol, making it difficult to assess
the different projects.
3) Value for money - the
Kimberlee report concluded that
the varying models of delivery
Just what the doctor orderedA look at social prescribing in Bristol
Issue 28 April / May / June 2015 www.voscur.org 27
in Bristol had varying costs; just
looking at staff costs alone on
four projects in Bristol, they
ranged from £223 to £883 per
client per annum. Not all decision
makers are convinced that social
prescribing is value for money.
Where now for a strategic approach for social prescribing?
Bristol Clinical Commissioning
Group has taken the lead in
developing a strategic approach.
The potential of social prescribing
is recognised in reducing hospital
admissions for older people, and
in strategies for supporting people
with long-term conditions and
improving mental health.
Voscur continues to be involved
with this work, and links are
being developed with Bristol
Ageing Better. Bristol Public
Health has funded a staff post,
seconded to the Bristol Clinical
Commissioning Group. The post
holder will continue with mapping
of local activities started by the
Joint Commissioning Group and
looking at evidence and evaluation
models.
Elsewhere, a significant report on
Social Prescribing was published
by Rotherham Voluntary Action
in 2014. NHS Rotherham Clinical
Commissioning Group funded
the work for two years. It was
part of a wider GP-led project
to increase the capacity of GP
practices to meet the non-clinical
needs of patients with long-term
conditions.
Around £1m was invested. Just
over £600,000 was distributed
to enable VCS organisations to
deliver a menu of 31 separate
social prescribing services. Twenty
nine (out of 36) GP practices in
Rotherham referred 1,607 patients
to the scheme.
This large-scale pilot provides a
comprehensive evidence base
that supports the case for social
prescribing. The evaluation
identified improvement in patient
wellbeing, and social prescribing
was found to help reduce hospital
admissions by between 12% and
21%.
Whilst Bristol might not be as far
ahead as Rotherham, we seem
to be moving towards overall
‘buy in’ for social prescribing as a
significant tool in improving health
and wellbeing in our city.
To see more on social
prescribing, visit: www.
voiceandinfluence.org.
uk/hsc_resources
Ph
oto b
y Reso
luteSu
pp
ortM
edia C
C BY 2.0
www.voscur.org April / May / June 2015 Issue 2828
Devolution is defined as the
transfer of power from central
government to a subnational level.
It can be divided into two main
types: functional public sector
service based (e.g. transport, skills)
and fiscal (taxes) devolution.
Greater Manchester has recently
announced its landmark
devolution agreement with
Government: the first for local
government and local partners. It
is far-reaching and includes major
plans for local transport, control
of a major housing investment
fund, and control of local skills
funding and health and social
care, with the objective of being
able to direct funding and services
to identified local priorities and
needs and support economic
growth and wellbeing.
Sheffield also agreed a devolution
deal shortly after that focuses
mainly on skills and transport.
This follows major developments
in policy from the Government,
Opposition and the Scottish
referendum on devolution last
year.
Along with other Core Cities and
City Regions, the Government
has indicated that it would
welcome a commitment from
the four unitary authorities in
the West of England to form a
combined authority to secure
devolved powers for strategic
functions such as transport,
planning, housing, skills, economic
development and health and
social care in an offer similar to
that agreed with Manchester, with
the Chancellor George Osborne
advising all that his door is open
for discussion.
Voscur has taken an active interest
in this debate; as well as attending
the Core Cities Summit in Glasgow
alongside the City Council, we
hosted a debate in March (in
association with the Bristol
Festival of Ideas) to consider the
role of communities in these
new developments. Community
activists from across the West of
England (WoE) contributed to the
discussion, which was opened by
Mayor Ferguson. The majority of
attendees said that the event had
increased their knowledge of City
Devolution, and many planned to
share information with others to
continue the debate. Many were
sharing information and opinions
live from the event via Twitter,
which recieved over 160 tweets
with the #futurecity15 hashtag.
“Packed conf. room today inc.
politicians, volunteer groups &
media, shows level of interest
in devolution” tweeted one
attendee. “Enjoyed @voscur
debate on devolution today”
added another, “Need for
leadership & vision and for third
sector to rise to the challenge!”
Voscur is keen to ensure that any
change in city region governance
is also an opportunity to develop
neighbourhood accountability and
enhance community democracy.
This view is shared by the think
tank ResPublica who said in
their recent report ‘Restoring
Britain’s City States’*, “Local
authorities should be given
a duty to involve, empower
and work with communities.
Legislation should be introduced
to enable the formation of
neighbourhood councils and to
enshrine their rights to draw down
City devolution & communities City devolution has been the hot topic in politics over the last few months. But what does this mean and what are the opportunities and risks for the voluntary and community sector?
Scott Jacobs-Lange @Scott _ Sovereign
“Some great debate and discussion about
#westofengland devolution today at #futurecity15
event. Thanks to @voscur and partners for organising.”
Issue 28 April / May / June 2015 www.voscur.org 29
politicians, volunteer groups &
media, shows level of interest
in devolution” tweeted one
attendee. “Enjoyed @voscur
debate on devolution today”
added another, “Need for
leadership & vision and for third
sector to rise to the challenge!”
Voscur is keen to ensure that any
change in city region governance
is also an opportunity to develop
neighbourhood accountability and
enhance community democracy.
This view is shared by the think
tank ResPublica who said in
their recent report ‘Restoring
Britain’s City States’*, “Local
authorities should be given
a duty to involve, empower
and work with communities.
Legislation should be introduced
to enable the formation of
neighbourhood councils and to
enshrine their rights to draw down
responsibilities and resources.
This would need to build on the
spirit of the Localism Act, which
aims not to restrict but actively
encourages the potential for
legitimate bottom-up community
action, by allowing for greater
cooperation and collaboration
between partners.”
Bristol and neighbouring WoE
authorities are looking at potential
devolved powers and funding
that responds to the economic
needs and priorities of the WoE
and Bristol area. Currently, there
is no agreed statement of intent
between the four West of England
authorities to secure devolved
powers and functions from
Government.
As well as an opportunity to
further improve community
democracy and accountability,
supporters of this approach
argue that there are many other
benefits that devolved powers and
governance could bring. These
include:
• Single point of decision-
making on agreed functions,
leading to quicker and more
visible decisions. Unlike the
Local Enterprise Partnership,
a combined authority also
has the relevant democratic
accountability.
• Secure more long-term
funding, and retain more of
the benefits of local growth to
reinvest in local priorities.
• Provide resilience and
sustainability to a range of
functions that will be hardest
hit by predicted budget
cuts and ensure that each
local authority continues to
undertake its community
leadership role of promoting
the social, economic and
environmental wellbeing in
their areas.
• An avenue to formally
combine resources and efforts
in regard to economic growth
and wellbeing that respond to
local priorities and needs.
Clearly there are also risks for the
sector. For example, one question
was about how we will ensure that
neighbourhood and community
priorities are reflected in any long-
term strategic plans of an entity
covering a much larger
Continued on next page...
Photos taken at the City Devolution event in March 2015, hosted by Voscur, in association with the Bristol Festival of Ideas.
Collecteco clears commercial premises and redistributes good-quality office furniture and other equipment to good causes. If your charity is looking for anything, please send a wishlist with your contact details to the email below and we’ll match it against our stock.
Continued from previous page...
geographical area. How will new commissioning
arrangements that emerge from any new entity
impact VCS organisations? As the ResPublica
report states: “In many respects the challenges
faced in devolving to communities mirror
the obstacles that need to be overcome in
transferring powers from the centre to local
government. The approach requires a complete
transformation in philosophy and approach to
change the culture of how things are done and
having the confidence to let go.”
The case that was presented at the core cities
event in Glasgow was that devolution to a city
region offers a much greater opportunity to
influence local services, rather than a national
policy approach that takes no account of local
need.
Time will tell if this approach prevails. Voscur and
the rest of the sector will continue to watch with
interest as the devolution debate continues.
*Core Cities UK are: Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield, Cardiff, Glasgow. They are a unique and united local authority voice to promote the role of their cities in driving economic growth and the case for city devolution. They represent the councils of England’s eight largest city economies outside London along with Glasgow and Cardiff. For information visit: www.corecities.com
Some useful links:
ResPublica report: ‘Restoring
Britain’s City States‘ http://goo.gl/P5RjZz
Core Cities’ ‘Modern Charter for Local
Freedom’ http://goo.gl/N1PKkq
A round-up of the Tweets from Voscur’s
event in March: goo.gl/F4X1J5
Issue 28 April / May / June 2015 www.voscur.org 31
To find out more
about your
Neighbourhood
Partnership, go to:
goo.gl/TLKRMC
Neighbourhood Partnerships’ conference February 2015
“We must excite people that this
is their local governance,” said
Mayor Ferguson, speaking at the
Neighbourhood Partnerships’
conference held at Circomedia
on a cold Saturday morning in
February.
The Mayor said that problems are
not understood from the centre,
and reminded us that the UK is
more centrally governed than any
other European country, but cities
and neighbourhoods are where
the problems and solutions lie.
The Mayor referred to Councillors
as drum beaters for local issues;
Councillors must be embedded in
their Neighbourhood Partnerships,
and Neighbourhood Partnerships
must be part of the ‘bigger
picture’.
He emphasised that devolution is
very relevant to Neighbourhood
Partnerships and said that if
Bristol, as part of a city region,
has more control over transport,
for example, we would be better
able to deal with how we move
efficiently around our city,
without reference to central
government.
The Mayor said that there is an
absolute desire to devolve as
much (to neighbourhoods) as is
feasible. Strategy must come from
the centre, where the joining-up
happens, but local areas should be
able to respond to local issues.
Councillors are drum beaters for local issues and must be embedded in their Neighbourhood PartnershipsThe Mayor recognised that