Corporate social responsibility from Tuffin Ferraby Taylor

On Saturday 24^th November, a team from Tuffin Ferraby Taylor LLP (TFT) did a makeover of the garden of one of our houses in Brighton. The transformation is fantastic.

The garden at that house has always proved particularly challenging as it is such a large space to maintain and it has been difficult for residents, who are with us temporarily, to get to grips with.

The work that the team did, truly transformed the garden. They opened up the space from the house with the removal of a coal bunker and left us with beds for plants and a herb garden, apple trees, a clear pond, repainted benches and provided more secluded fencing.  It now offers a more manageable space for residents to get more involved with and an easier space for us to manage also!

Before

After

TFT also went to not inconsiderable expense in terms of the purchase of trees, plants, fencing and all the materials they bought to make the day work so well and leave such a positive legacy.

This is a great example of fantastic corporate social responsibility.  My  heartfelt thanks to the whole team who were involved for their efforts in making a neglected space look so beautiful.

Initial reaction to the Comprehensive Spending Review

Like many others, I have awaited George Osborne’s statement on the Comprehensive Spending Review with a great deal of trepidation.  This is my reaction to it, just two hours after the Chancellor sat down and before we have had chance to assess some of the detail.

The announcement that adult social care and the Personalisation agenda are to be protected is particularly welcomed, although I am disappointed that there are to be further cuts of, on average, £100 million each year for the next four years in the Supporting People budget .  This equates to an annual cut of 6.25%.  This is disappointing given that it comes on top of cuts of £200 million over the 6 years since 2004/05 and there is no fat left on the bone.  Supporting People services are aimed directly at the elderly, the frail and the poorest in the country.  However, I had feared that the cuts to the Supporting People programme were going to be greater, and it was good that the Chancellor specifically recognised this programme in his speech.  On the ground the reduction in funding may be greater given that Supporting People will no longer be ring-fenced, and councils are having their overall funding cut by 7.1%.

There could well be opportunities for organisations such as BHT as new ways of working are expected.  Local decisions on local policies and local delivery will allow charities and local councils to work together to meet the needs of communities.  Charities like BHT can bring innovation and good practice and we can help to change and improve the communities within which we work.

We welcome the recognition that house building is needed – 150,000 new homes over the next 4 years.  The government is looking seriously at how this can be funded through increased rents on new lettings.  However, we are concerned that social housing rents for new tenants will be 80% of the average market rent.  This will mean that these homes will not be affordable for the unemployed and low paid households with three or more children when a £26,000 cap on benefits payable to individual households is applied. 

The question has to be asked whether such households will be able to afford rents in high cost areas such as Brighton and Hove.  With the changes to housing benefit and benefit entitlement, I can foresee households with three or more children having to move out of Brighton, where they may have been born and brought up, to areas where they may have no connection, no family and no support, and where additional pressure will be put on local services such as schools and health services.  We support the calls that areas like Brighton and Hove should be exempt from these changes.

We are concerned about what cuts will be made to Legal Aid.  Details of these are to follow.  There will be consultation on how to reduce the budget by £350 million.  We hope that any cuts will not undermine our ability to provide advice and legal representation from our advice centres in Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings.

Other details will emerge over the next few days.  For example, we have just heard that the restriction in housing benefit  for those under 25 to the cost of an average room in a shared house is to be extended to those under 35.

Please comment on your reaction to the CSR and how you think it will impact on our clients, on BHT itself, and on the communities within which we work.

The hopes and fears for the Comprehensive Spending Review

This week sees the announcement of the Comprehensive Spending Review, and I must admit that I await the detail with some trepidation.  BHT has long been aware that we, as a country, would be facing difficult times.  Indeed, at BHT we began preparing for this moment two years ago.  We examined our cost base, and made some very painful decisions regarding the salaries we pay.  We have made strenuous efforts to increase our income, and have made some bold steps in the direction of creating profitable social enterprises.

During this time, and in the months and years ahead, it is the ongoing support we receive from individuals, church and community groups that make the difference for many of our services.  As a result of your generosity and support, we are possibly better placed than many other charities to cope with even quite dramatic cuts.  We are determined to do what we can to safeguard the services we provide to vulnerable men and women. 

I take comfort from the pledge made by the Prime Minister in Downing Street shortly after the Coalition Government was formed.  David Cameron said: “I want to make sure that my government always looks after the elderly, the frail, the poorest in our country. We must take everyone through with us on some of the difficult decisions we have ahead.  Above all it will be a government that is built on some clear values. Values of freedom, values of fairness, and values of responsibility.”

BHT doesn’t provide any specific services to the elderly, but we do a lot with and for the frail and the poorest.  And the values of fairness and of responsibility run through our veins.

So, what do I hope and fear about Wednesday’s announcements?  I have three key issues I will be listening out for.

The first is housing benefit.  The changes in entitlement to housing benefit already announced remains a major cause for concern, but I hope that high rent areas like Brighton and Hove will receive some extra support to prevent the otherwise inevitable rise in homelessness.

Secondly, I hope that the value of fairness will ensure legal aid will still be there to prevent homelessness, tackle debt, and sort out welfare benefit problems.  This is specialist work and the social return on investment is enormous.  If these specialist services provided by the CAB, BHT and others are cut, we will see the consequences for many years to come.

Finally, I hope to see that the elderly, the frail and the poorest in our country will still be able to receive support through the very excellent services funded through the Supporting People programme.  This budget has already been significantly reduced in recent years.  There is little, if any more, to give.  I feel so strongly that the most vulnerable men and women in our society must continue to be supported to remain in their homes, to move to greater independence, and are supported into training, education and employment.

By Wednesday evening we will no longer have to speculate.