Big Society? More like high society for these volunteers

Published: 20 August, 2010

• NEITHER I, nor any community volunteer I know, expects people to incur personal expenses while carrying out a voluntary role (Tenants in row over expenses for HfI meetings, August 13). 

The issue is not about recovering legitimate and reasonable expenses. Being paid for a voluntary role, in addition to recovering expenses, is quite different, and the heart of this matter.

When Homes for Islington (HfI) elections for resident board members took place, the vast majority of those standing were hardly people in the public eye or even known to the vast majority of residents. There were no hustings, just the oblique paragraph manifestos sent out with ballot papers. 

As opposed to making informed choices, voting residents were effectively participating in a housing governance lottery. Neither qualifications nor experience are required to stand for election and it could result in £500 to £5,000 a year for a very part-time job.

Hundreds of voluntary committee members and officers of a large number of voluntary organisations and community panels, from school governance boards to housing and community crime panels, put in countless and collectively thousands of hours a week as do the chairs of the borough’s 25 Islington tenant management organisations and 60 or so tenants’ and residents’ associations. 

Though these roles aren’t paid, reasonable and valid expenses should of course be fully declared and covered. I believe many willing volunteers would point out that their being paid would cost so many books or chairs for the children. What HfI has (informally) agreed to pay its “elected” volunteers would pay for many urgent repairs and improvements on estates and in the homes of the most vulnerable tenants.

Genuine community-minded people put the time and effort in to improve conditions for tenants and leaseholders, schools and neighbourhood crime panels and, while recognising the value of what they do, would be offended by the suggestions that they accept payment for their “giving something back”. 

As opposed to a Big Society, HfI operates much more like a secret society and acts like high society.

THOMAS COOPER
Islington Council tenant, N5

• WHEN Councillor James Murray says of the expenses to be paid to Homes for Islington board representatives: “I don’t think they are excessive in the current climate and these people give up a lot of free time to do the work” he is totally missing the point.
                   

The members joined the board as unpaid volunteers   and that’s what they should stay. Volunteers do not get  paid for giving up their free time, they do it for the greater good. 

If the board representatives do not want to do this they should resign and be replaced by people who are still willing to do the job for nothing – there will be many and I offer HfI my totally free services here and now.
 

TERRY COMER          
Canonbury Park North, N1