We are launching a new national body for the civic movement – Civic Voice – following the intensive debate with civic societies and others that followed closure of the Civic Trust in April 2010. We are enormously grateful to the hundreds of civic societies, volunteers and others who have fed in views, provoked discussion, provided funding and helped build a new momentum of support for the civic movement that will make it stronger than ever before.
Civic Voice
Civic Voice is being launched publicly on Saturday 17 April and all civic societies registered with the Civic Society Initiative and other partners are welcome to attend. There is further information on the launch and how to book your place available here.
Joining Civic Voice
Civic societies can join Civic Voice through the website here. This also provides a summary of the benefits of being a member.
A majority of civic societies responding to the discussion supported funding on the basis of a levy per member. The cost of membership in the first year is £1.50 per member (excluding life members and up to a maximum of £500). Family and joint memberships will both count as two members for the purposes of calculating the fee. Corporate and other membership categories should count as one. Civic societies joining as “founder members” before the end of May 2010 will receive a 10% discount on the membership fee and their membership will run till the end of April 201.
We recognise that life members do not provide a regular source of income to civic societies and ask that a single donation is made equivalent to £1.50 per life member in the first year and for new life members in subsequent years. We would also encourage civic societies with the necessary funds to make a donation in excess of the £500 cap where possible so we build the momentum necessary to fund an independent voice for the civic movement.
We expect the levy will be increased to £2 per member from April 2011 and the cap raised to £800. This allows time for civic societies to adjust to the new arrangements. It will be for Civic Voice’s board to make the final decision on any change.
Partnerships
Civic societies joining Civic Voice will benefit from a number of exciting partnerships with benefits for them and their members. These include partnerships with the National Trust, Bluefin insurance, The Co-operative Bank and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).
Civic Voice will be a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. It will be a federal organisation with civic and amenity societies as its members. Its structure will be broadly as proposed in the December discussion paper (available here) with some important changes to reflect the feedback from civic societies and the desire for stronger civic society input and a grassroots feel.
The key changes are:
We expect a Civic Forum will be established to involve more civic societies in debating and discussing issues and priorities in addition to the AGM and annual convention. Civic Voice will also have provision for 10 not-for-profit partners to nominate a single trustee between them if desired as previously proposed. Each of these issues will be for Civic Voice’s Board to decide. We expect Civic Voice’s first AGM to be held in Autumn 2010.
Our name
Civic Voice has been chosen as the name of the new body. It was selected by civic society volunteers from a shortlist of options that best expressed the intended purpose and style of the new body. It was more than twice as popular as the nearest alternative.
The ballot received 636 responses. For those indicating a first choice Civic Voice was preferred by 55%; Civic Vision 26%; Civic Matters 15% and C3 (championing civic causes) 3%.
