Voluntary Action Camden Summer 2019 Update

Summer 2019 Update to Members and Subscribers

26th July 2019

Summer is definitely upon us (you can’t argue with 38C!) and we hope you manage to find time to take a break and recharge your batteries. But before you do, as part of our ongoing mission to serve the local voluntary and community sector, we are surveying all our members and subscribers to get your views on VAC and how you we can work better in the future/ or what things you think VAC should be working on now and in the coming years. It’s only a short survey but we really value your views.

There is also a separate and super short 10 question survey about the website. It’s been a few years since we looked at our websites and communications and we would like to get your views before we make any changes.

The council started a major review of rents with a view to getting a new rents policy in place by April 2020. The consultant’s report came out in April with a plan to follow this up by forming a working group and wider consultations with the sector – then take the final recommendations to a cabinet meeting before Christmas. There will probably be at least two events – one run by C4 for their members and a general one run by VAC.

Please look out for those dates if you are:
~ A voluntary sector tenant of a Camden council owned property
~ An organisation that got rents transition money
~ You rent space in a building or community centre owned by Camden
~ You are, or are hoping to be, involved in an s.106 or CIL project

Social Prescribing is continuing to develop fast in Camden, joining more and more residents into their community groups and activities (more than 400 per month).

Some recent changes in the NHS will have a big impact on this work – the GPs contract now includes the link worker role and GPs have also been required to form into neighbourhood groupings (called Primary Care Networks). There are 7 in Camden. Read Donna Turnbull’s explanation and catch up with the latest Social Prescribing Learning Network news.

We’re continuing to work with the volunteer centre and the community centres consortium and others to join up the support that is available to you. Don’t forget OneCamden.com – the simple portal into support, volunteering, fundraising and social action in Camden.

Finally, we welcome some new board members: Hilary Barnard, a local resident, former CVS Director and Management Consultant, Tim Holt, Marketing Manager at Visit Britain and two council observers, Cllr Nash Ali and Cllr Richard Cotton.

Yours

Kevin
& the VAC team: Alex, Dianne, Donna, Hasel, Mandira, Manuella, Nasrin, Ricky and Zubair