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The Community Base board of trustees discussed the review of Community Base's policies and activities at its meeting on 8th May 2007.
Community Base - a home for community and voluntary groups
The board welcomed the review's final report written by Jeremy Spafford. The board agreed with the report's conclusion that "all [involved in the review] were of the view that Community Base is for voluntary and community sector (VCS) groups and that it is vital that the public perceive Community Base as independent of the statutory sector". The board welcomed the broad consensus amongst participant groups on this important principle.
The need for trust, consultation and discussion
The board agreed with the report's conclusion that there was a need for greater trust, consultation and discussion between Community Base and participant groups in order to stop potential differences over grey areas arising from this principle growing into major disputes.
The board agreed that for such trust to exist participant groups need to know there are robust mechanisms in place to ensure that Community Base does not make arbitrary decisions, consults fully and has transparent appeals and complaints procedures. As a result of the recent policy review these mechanisms are now in place.
In order to ensure there is full consultation and discussion of 'grey areas', the board agreed there needed to be an obligation on licencees to inform Community Base when considering a development that could be considered to breach the above principle, even when the licencee doesn't believe it will. The board also wanted to make it clear that it supported participant groups' development of their services and that students and others on placement are welcome at Community Base.
The board agreed to change licence regulation 21 to reflect these views. Formal notice of this change is being given on the ordinary Community Base email group as required by licence agreements. To reflect this view the board agreed to change licence regulation 21 from "not to allow any organisation other than the licensee to provide services from Community Base or manage or employ or place seconded workers, volunteers or students in the designated space without the written permission of Community Base" to "not to allow any organisation other than the licensee to provide a service from Community Base or manage or employ or place seconded workers in the Designated Space without the written permission of Community Base".
Individuals at Community Base
The board agreed that Community Base's reception needs to know the names of everyone working at Community Base. To reflect this view the board agreed to change licence regulation 20 from "to ensure that all new paid or voluntary workers involved with the Licensee at the Premises are introduced to the important information for people working at Community Base section of the Community Base website" to "to provide Community Base reception with the names of all staff, volunteers, students and secondees working for or with the licencee at Community Base".
The board agreed that reception would give new people at Community Base an introductory letter telling them what Community Base is and inviting them to participate in the email group, events and so on. The board also agreed that reception should keep a list of everyone at Community Base's email addresses, including people choosing not to be on the Community Base email group, so that everyone in the building can be contacted if need be.
Trustees' skills audit
Following the decision at the last board meeting to conduct an audit of trustees' skills, the board noted information provided by individual trustees listing their skills in the areas of finance, governance, employing people, community activity, equalities issues, legal issues, strategic planning, project development and property management. The board noted that a number of trustees had significant skills in each area.
The board also noted it was able to receive advice from experts on legal matters, financial matters and property management when it needed it. It was agreed to list short descriptions of all Community Base trustees, board advisers and staff on the Community Base website.
Some policy amendments
The board agreed to make an annual estimate of capital expenditure over the next 25 years on the basis of consultations with contractors, suppliers and others. The board decided this estimate should be confidential to Community Base trustees and staff for commercial reasons. The board amended point 2 of the policy on asset management and deleted point 2b of the policy on financial controls to reflect this decision.
The board also agreed to make a number of other minor policy changes on the basis of suggestions received from participant groups following the review. Apart from wording corrections, these changes allow a complaint at stage three of the complaints procedure to be made to the secretary as well as the chair and state that notes of participant group meetings will be posted on the website with a link emailed to the email group. You can read all Community Base's policies here.
