Thursday, 16 November 2006

A bad traffic day

I arrived at the office this morning just after 10:00, having spent more than two hours driving the 25 miles from WGC. I started the day about an hour behind schedule and was not a happy bunny.

Meetings meetings

On arrival, I immediately embarked on the day’s meetings: Saud was waiting at WCVS to introduce himself as a new Personal Advisor for Muslim youth working on the Connexions project, then I met with the existing Connexions worker Des, then met with Sue on the office redecoration programme, to discuss accommodation for local Scout groups I visited Roger at the YMCA, then met with YMCA CEO Phil, then went on to meet Vivienne at HomeStart, then returned to meet one of our volunteers who I had asked to do some work updating the website, and then caught up with Anne to resolve some IT problems. Somewhere in all this I overlooked a meeting I had scheduled with Anne and Vanessa to discuss the Reaching Communities funding bid; I must send them my belated apologies.

The trip to the YMCA was very enlightening. Like many, I had my prejudices about the YMCA: I have only a poor grasp of Victorian notions of Christian manliness, a better understanding of homelessness and youth issues, but no understanding whatsoever of 1970s disco music. The YMCA building in Watford is massive, rising high above the shops and shopping centres on the adjacent High Street. Inside, the YMCA premises are clean and bright, and offer an abundance of useful facilities including meeting spaces, dance studios, restaurants, gyms (yes, all in the plural) and a squash court (singular).

Roger, based at YMCA and elsewhere, is the Millennium Volunteers co-ordinator for Hertfordshire, and also has some continued engagement with the Scout movement. He is also one of my trustees. We had a very short and purposeful discussion about proposals from WBC to review leases for Scout premises in North Watford. Roger is very straightforward and I like him more each time I meet him.

Phil (another WCVS trustee) also oozes professionalism and commitment. He bought me lunch in the YMCA restaurant, then gave me a wonderfully succinct political history of Watford Borough, a pen picture of YMCA activities in Watford, and a tour of the YMCA’s facilities.

Then onto HomeStart, to meet Vivienne, yet another WCVS trustee. It was good to see Vivienne and HomeStart’s premises, although they are rather smaller than YMCA’s comprising only one open plan office with four desks and a small meeting room. HomeStart is the UK’s leading family support charity, supporting families through difficulties such as illness, disability, bereavement and poverty.

In two-tier local government, child and family support is a County responsibility, so HomeStart receives most of its funding from Hertfordshire County Council rather than Watford Borough Council. A year or so ago, HCC appointed independent consultants to review the work of HomeStart across Hertfordshire. The result was a glowing report highlighting the value of the work done and the positive outcomes. Vivienne though that sufficient had been done to secure future funding for the network. But a surprise was in store. HCC agreed to continue funding at the previous level, but they also introduced a new formula to target funding on particular areas. The result of this change is that HomeStart Watford will lose perhaps £15,000 pa in funding and will have to significantly reduce its activities locally. Throughout the County, three HomeStart organisations will lose, and five will benefit.

I have no first-hand knowledge of HCC’s policy, but from Vivienne’s report it does seem to have been badly handled. There is only one transition year, no impact assessment, and no additional funding to cover the costs of transition (redundancy payments, recruitment costs, etc), no clear explanation of how and why the new formula is being introduced or how it works, and no way of ensuring that expanding HomeStart services in one area will actually benefit the needs that are presumably being targeted. Vivienne and I talked through several possible responses, and I wish her and her project well.

I eventually emerged from my final meetings, with Anne, at about 6:00 pm. Before leaving the office for the day, I still have to finalise arrangements for the review of council leases, deal with around fifty e-mails, and select the files I need to take home to prepare for forthcoming meetings with Connexions, WBC’s portfolio holder for voluntary sector issues, Watford’s Voluntary Sector Alliance, WCVS’s networking lunch, our WBC grants officer, Investors In People, the editor of the Watford Observer, the Herts Infrastructure Consortium, Watford Learning Partnership, Herts Compact group and the Herts CVS group.

Smile, boy, that's the style

I must confess, for the first time since starting at WCVS, I feel a little swamped. But am I downhearted? No. Rather, I count my blessing. I believe in the value of WCVS; I enjoy the work and the people, I have a wonderful family, and a bit of hard work never hurt anyone. I will stay late tonight to secure what progress I can, and I have tomorrow (Friday) and the weekend at home to see my family and plan the work ahead. Now I worry that I sound smug.