Civic Society Initiative - Latest
05/09/09 10:10 Filed in: Concerns
In essence the purpose of the Civic Society
Initiative is a simple one – to establish the means
within twelve months to ensure provision of a
national voice and support for the civic society
movement.
The loss of the Civic Trust has prompted a groundswell of support for the civic society movement. Messages of support and practical offers of help have been received from a large number of professional bodies, local authorities, voluntary and charitable organisations and others. Over 650 civic societies have already said they want to be kept in touch with the future arrangements for supporting societies and providing a champion for the movement.
It is clear that many share the view that the civic society movement is too important for it to lose its national voice. The role of societies and local community action is as important now as it was when the Civic Trust was set up. This is the sentiment at the heart of the package of measures now being put in place to allow a range of options for the future health of the civic society movement to be explored and assessed.
A full range of options will need to be examined but three things are clear:
The core package for establishing the Civic Society Initiative which has emerged is as follows:
English Heritage will deliver Heritage Open Days in 2009.
While there has been no decision as to whether a new organisation is even needed, it is essential that the solution meets the needs of the civic societies and other similar community groups. A top down solution will not work. The Civic Society Initiative will take an open approach and explore a full range of possibilities for the movement. This will include development of the mission, vision, values, funding, governance and name of a new organisation, or the means to do this, if it is determined one is required. It starts with an open mind, a desire to debate and involve and no presumptions as to the outcome. There will be a sounding board drawn from the civic society movement and others and an extensive debate will be undertaken, including surveys and local stakeholder events in the major cities and elsewhere. The outcome will be a set of proposals seeking to combine immediate practical viability with a 3-5 year plan of the future.
The latest bulletin from the Civic Society Initiative can be downloaded from here
The loss of the Civic Trust has prompted a groundswell of support for the civic society movement. Messages of support and practical offers of help have been received from a large number of professional bodies, local authorities, voluntary and charitable organisations and others. Over 650 civic societies have already said they want to be kept in touch with the future arrangements for supporting societies and providing a champion for the movement.
It is clear that many share the view that the civic society movement is too important for it to lose its national voice. The role of societies and local community action is as important now as it was when the Civic Trust was set up. This is the sentiment at the heart of the package of measures now being put in place to allow a range of options for the future health of the civic society movement to be explored and assessed.
A full range of options will need to be examined but three things are clear:
- the civic society movement needs an independent champion
- the movement needs to be supported as a network where the voice of individual societies and local groups can be strengthened
- the future needs to be rooted in what the societies want and they need to drive the way forward.
The core package for establishing the Civic Society Initiative which has emerged is as follows:
- one year’s funding donated by the National Trust for Tony Burton to lead the Initiatives
- office accommodation and in-kind support donated by CPRE (in London) and the RIBA (in Liverpool)
- a charitable ‘home’ to receive funds and provide governance through the North of England Civic Trust
- a civic society convention supported by Blackpool Council and hosted by Blackpool Civic Trust in October 2009.
English Heritage will deliver Heritage Open Days in 2009.
While there has been no decision as to whether a new organisation is even needed, it is essential that the solution meets the needs of the civic societies and other similar community groups. A top down solution will not work. The Civic Society Initiative will take an open approach and explore a full range of possibilities for the movement. This will include development of the mission, vision, values, funding, governance and name of a new organisation, or the means to do this, if it is determined one is required. It starts with an open mind, a desire to debate and involve and no presumptions as to the outcome. There will be a sounding board drawn from the civic society movement and others and an extensive debate will be undertaken, including surveys and local stakeholder events in the major cities and elsewhere. The outcome will be a set of proposals seeking to combine immediate practical viability with a 3-5 year plan of the future.
The latest bulletin from the Civic Society Initiative can be downloaded from here