October 2009
When the Civic Trust was established in 1957 there were already a number of Civic Societies in
existence. Initially, the Trust was funded by various benefactors so that registered societies did not
have to pay a fee. Over time, the situation changed and fees were introduced, but they were never
sufficient to cover the running costs and the Trust came to rely on government contracts to provide
the necessary income. When it failed to secure the renewal of the contract for the Green Flag
Awards at a time when other sources of funding had become severely restricted, it was unable to
continue and, last April, went into administration.
It was not the first time the Trust had been in financial difficulties; the sale of the lease
on Carlton House Terrace saved it on one occasion. On another, in the early 1990's, a committee
that had been created with regionally-elected representatives, was able to help restructure the
governance of the Trust. This committee, the National Council of Civic Trust Societies, has
subsequently remained dormant, but it still exists as a registered company and could provide the
framework on which a new organisation could be based.
Although the National Committee which comprised the Chairs of the Regional Associations, was
due to meet shortly after the Trust went into administration, that meeting was cancelled by the Chairman,
who had been one of the Trustees. Nevertheless, some of its members did meet and agreed that what
was needed was the creation of a much smaller, simpler organisation which focused on supporting local
societies and lobbying government. In addition, it was considered necessary for the organisation to be
managed by a Board whose members would be elected by local societies. It would therefore be the
decision-making body, unlike the National Committee whicn never had any powers.
Shortly after this meeting, the Civic Societies Initiative (CSI) was launched by the
National Trust with support from CPRE (Campaign for the Protection of Rural England) and
the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), but without reference to anyone
representing the movement. Its work is being undertaken by Tony Burton, who previously worked
for the National Trust, which is paying his salary for 12 months, and Ian Harvey, a former employee
of the Civic Trust, who is being funded by the Esme Fairbairn Foundation. Tony is working from
office premises in London provided by the CPRE and Ian from the RIBA office in Liverpool.
At the outset, a steering group was formed from two former Trustees of the Civic Trust, a
representative of the CPRE and one from the North of England Civic Trust, which is managing the
funding of the CSI, including donations from societies and other sources. Since it was created, the
CSI has concentrated on collecting information about local societies' activities and opinions,
most of which could have been provided at the start by people who have been involved in the
movement for many years. The results of this research were presented to the Convention in
Blackpool, and confirm the priorities identified by the Regional Chairs in April.
One matter which was not mentioned in Blackpool was the structure and governance needed to
enable the movement to function effectively. The criticism of the existing regional structure, because
in some areas societies have not involved themselves in the process of developing a Regional Spatial
Strategy, does not mean it should not be retained while an alternative is developed. In the North West
we have, through our membership of the North West Environmental Link, been able to effect
considerable improvements to the environmental policies in the Regional Spatial Strategy, particularly
during the Examination in Public.
The Regional Associations are the only remaining -elected organisations which represent local
societies, but they have not been involved in meaningful discussions by the CSI. There is no indication
of how the suggested alternative of having 'clusters' of societies which have a geographical
or topic interest in common, would be achieved. The question of governance is particularly critical,
since proposals regarding the policies, activities or such matters as registration fees should only be made
by representatives from societies or groups of societies who are mandated to make such decisions on
their behalf.
This lack of a clear framework or indication of how the movement would be coordinated, raises
serious questions about how to go forward. The presentation at the Blackpool Convention implied
that a centralised organisation would be recreated with no indication of how societies would have an
input into the way it would work. Although alternative proposals have been put forward, none were
made available for discussion. Nor was it made clear who would make decisions on the future of the
movement.
It would not be appropriate for the CSI, which is a self-appointed body without any representation
from societies, to determine the future of the movement. Until these matters have been discussed and
agreed, it is not possible to decide how existing local groups, like county federations, or regional
associations, will function or be funded. In the meantime, it is vital for these to remain active and
fulfil their current role.
Peter Colley
Chairman
North West Association of Civic Trust Societies
