Organisations build relationshipsover long periods and are oftentrusted by the vulnerable andvoiceless in ways that statutoryagencies are not. It is this bondthat roots the voluntary sector inthe community and it is why thesector has a key role to play as achampion of the disadvantaged.

Our voice is never moreurgently needed than at a timewhen cuts to services and theerosion of living standards arehaving a real impact on so many.

Whether it’s those who stand tolose out if free ‘social welfare’legal aid is cut or those that arefinding life in Kensington andChelsea unaffordable due to thehousing benefit cap, ourcommunities are facing hardshipand upheaval to an extent theyhaven’t experienced for ageneration.

However recent research bythe Baring Foundation’s voluntarysector Independence Panel hasfound that some organisationsare reluctant to speak out.Protecting Independence: TheVoluntary Sector in 2012 states“Some organisations that rely onstate funding are fearful ofchallenging government or localauthorities, in case this could leadto reprisals.”

This applies to organisationsthat have had a traditionaladvocacy role as well as thosewho don’t. But by not speakingout we leave the voiceless withouta voice and the true human costof the cuts goes unreported.

Our right to campaign isenshrined in the CharityCommission’s Guidance toCharities. It states that "Theexperience of charities means thatit is right that they should have astrong and assertive voice.”

This is something the SocialCouncil strongly believes in andby confronting decision makerswith evidence of the human costof their policy decisions webelieve the sector is exercisingthat right.

We should also remember thatan important aspect of civilsociety is being an active citizen,getting involved and taking actionon matters of concern. The SocialCouncil aims to inspire localvoluntary organisations to debatethe issues and to unite as a voicewhen addressing socialdisadvantage to decision makers.

We know that by working onthe frontline you will haveaccumulated lots of knowledgeon what is happening tocommunities. Whether you have

Our voice, our strength

statistical or anecdotalinformation we would like to hearit. We have launched a povertywatch working group to helpcoordinate a stronger voice forour communities. Poverty Watchaims to collate evidence and be alocal voice on the impact ofwelfare changes on ourcommunity. You can find out moreabout poverty watch atwww.kcsc.org.uk/povertywatch

A real understanding of the issues facing localcommunities is one of the great strengths ofthe voluntary and community sector.

SPRING 2012

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KENSINGTON & CHELSEASOCIAL COUNCILLondon Lighthouse111-117 Lancaster RoadLondon W11 1QT

020 7243 9800info@kcsc.org.ukwww.kcsc.org.ukCharity no 1087457Limited company no. 4146375

C O N TA C T U S

Chief ExecutiveMary Gardiner 020 7243 9803mary@kcsc.org.uk

Office ManagerHarjit Dhaliwal 020 7243 9801harjit@kcsc.org.uk

Organisational Development Team

Organisational DevelopmentManagerLev Pedro 020 7243 9809lev@kcsc.org.uk 07540 721765

Senior OrganisationalDevelopment AdvisorSiobhan Sollis 020 7243 9807siobhan@kcsc.org.uk

Development OfficerBrenda Nambooze 020 7243 9807brenda@kcsc.org.uk

Events Co-ordinatorAmbika Sharma 020 7243 9804ambika@kcsc.org.uk

Policy Development Team

Policy Development ManagerAngela Spence 020 7243 9802angela@kcsc.org.uk

Development Officer –Partnerships and ForumsMohammed Miah 020 7243 9808mohammed@kcsc.org.uk

Information and CommunicationsOfficerKuldip Bajwa 020 7243 9805kuldip@kcsc.org.uk

The views expressed in Link are notnecessarily those of KCSC.

Kensington & ChelseaSocial Council (KCSC)works to support locally focusedvoluntary and communityorganisations serving local residents.

Introducing the Kensington andChelsea Infrastructure ConsortiumThe Borough’s leading voluntary sector infrastructure bodies have cometogether to improve the support provided to local voluntary andcommunity organisations (VCOs).

The new consortium will deliver the Transforming InfrastructureKensington and Chelsea Project which has a number of strands. Theseinclude fostering closer ties with local business and increasing corporatevolunteering and giving, supporting VCOs to access contractingopportunities, integrating elements of the partner’s IT systems to aid jointworking and delivering financial e-learning courses.

Partners will spend the next 18 months working together with thesupport of a new Change Manager, Corporate Giving Manager and aMonitoring Officer to strengthen local infrastructure support. The projectwhich is Government funded will also look at ways to make efficienciesthrough closer joint working and ways to generate new forms of income.

The following organisations make up the consortium:

Thinking of waysto diversifyyour funding?Have you consideredSocial Investment?A new guide that explains someof the ways you can use finance togenerate social returns has beenpublished by KnowHow NonProfit.

As well asexplaining some of the termslike ‘Equity investment’ and ‘Social impact bonds’the guide points you to more detailed information and uses case studiesto illustrate how voluntary and community organisations can takeadvantage of different forms of finance.www.knowhownonprofit.org/funding/social-investment-1

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More info: Kuldip Bajwakuldip@kcsc.org.uk 020 7243 9805

N EW S I N B R I E F

Get involved inthe GolborneRoad FestivalThis year’s Golborne RoadFestival will take place onSunday 8 July.It will be bringing live music andentertainment, fun and games forkids and food from around theworld to Golborne.

The local community is animportant part of the festival andcommunity and voluntary groupsare invited to join in. If you haveideas for a fun activity, want to runan exhibition or a showcase ofyour work this is your chance.Stall space is available.Please get in touch.

Are you ready for commissioning?Voluntary sector organisations are increasingly being encouraged to bid fortenders and to deliver public service contracts.

The Social Council has set up a new company Kensington & ChelseaCommunity Enterprises CIC. The company will look for contract opportunities, bidfor contracts on behalf of local organisations and form partnerships of localorganisations that will work together to deliver contracts. We will also help localorganisations to develop the policies and procedures that they will need to be‘tender-ready’.Any organisations wishing to be considered for partnership contract bids

in 2012/13 must complete the new online registration process by 30 April.

Nominate a young person or volunteerfor free Olympic ticketsThe council are offering 100 local young people and volunteers the opportunity toattend the Olympic and Paralympic Games for free.

Voluntary and community organisations can nominate a young person aged 8to 19 (or up to 25, if they have a disability) or a volunteer that they think hasearned the right to go for their contribution to local life. You may consider theperson an inspiration to our community, they may be a young sporting champion,the coach who supports them or your volunteers who give their time to make adifference.

Assessors will judge the applications by looking for examples of outstandingachievement, endeavour and commitment.

Each organisation can make up to five nominations. The deadline is 10 April.

More info: Lev Pedro 020 7243 9809lev@kcsc.org.uk www.kcsc.org.uk/kc-community-enterprises

More info: RBKC 2012 Unit 020 7361 201210am - 12.30pm, Mon - Thurs or email london2012@rbkc.org.uk

3

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S P E C I A L F E

The Benefit SqueezeCurrently housing benefitchanges are a focus forconcern as the cap thatwas introduced in April2011 for new claimantshas been extended tocover existing tenants.

The Housing Benefit Capand its implications

The cap on the amount ofhousing benefit a claimant can bepaid was introduced in April 2011 fornew claimants. It sets a limit on theamount that can be claimed for oneto four bed properties and endsclaims for five bedroom properties.In January 2012 this was extendedto existing claimants and in a furtherchange the threshold for the sharedaccommodation rate was increasedfrom age 25 to 35. This means thatsingle claimants up to the age of 35will have their Local HousingAllowance (LHA) based on a room ina shared property rather than a self-contained one bedroom property.

The impact of this cap is causefor widespread concern as it affectsa number of existing households inthe borough, many of whom havelived here for years.

Kensington and Chelsea has thehighest private rents in the countryand also the most unaffordable.According to figures in Shelter’sPrivate Rent Watch Research Report– Oct 2011 average rent for a twobedroom property makes up 89% ofthe average (median) take home payin the borough. For Westminster insecond place it’s 82% whilst theLondon average is 60%. Anythingover 50% is classed by Shelter as“extremely unaffordable”.

The housing benefit cap, meansthat at a stroke, most privately

put in place a scheme to providefurther information three months inadvance of when the changes willaffect them. Advice sessions havebeen held to explain the changesand options available andhouseholds with members over 70years of age have been offeredhome visits. Generally take up of thisoffer has been poor to date but thecouncil will continue to offer advice.

Financial support is beingprovided to help those that areforced to move via a £350k PrivateRented Access Scheme. Thescheme is intended to cover thecost of a deposit and the initialmonth’s rent expected to average£2,500 per household. This schemehas come in for criticism from somequarters for not doing enough toaddress the additional, non-financialdifficulties people will face inrelocating.

Whilst politicians stress theimportance of cutting the welfare billto reduce the budget deficit the realimpact of policy should not beignored. We believe that every efforthas to be made to support thosewho are being forced to move orfacing a reduced income.

rented properties becomeunaffordable to people on benefitsregardless of how long they havelived there or how long they havebeen part of the local community.

Whilst it was hoped that the capwould force rents down, they are infact on the rise. The cap on housingbenefit affects 2341 households inKensington and Chelsea out of thetotal 2771 (84.5%) currently inreceipt of the LHA.

As a result single residents andfamilies are being forced out of theborough in search of moreaffordable accommodation. This hasan impact not only on people’sability to hold down a job and onchildren settled in education but alsoon the wider community.

Anecdotal evidence suggeststhat up to 50% of pupils at oneschool in Earl’s Court are affected.As a result some are likely to moveout of the area and have theireducation disrupted as they areforced to change school.

What is the council doing?All tenants affected by the cap weresent an initial letter informing them ofthe changes. The council has also

A number of key changes to benefits, tax credits and the benefits systewelfare spending more affordable but they will have a significant impac

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F E A T U R E

zestem are planned over the next few years. These are designed to makepact on some of our poorer communities, both those in and out of work.

The Housing BenefitCap in Numbers

Figures for Kensington and Chelsea(Feb 2012)

2771 households are inreceipt of the LocalHousing Allowance.

2341 (84.5%) have rents thatexceed the cappedrates that applied fromJanuary 2012.

2159 (77.9%) have rents thatexceed the cappedrates by more than£25 per week.

803 (34.3%) out of the 2341that have rents abovethe caps, arehouseholds with 1dependent (up to theage of 20 in full-timeeducation) or more.1309 dependents areaffected in total.

788 (36.5%) of the 2159that have rents morethan £25 per weekabove the caps, arehouseholds with 1dependent or more.1288 dependentsaffected in total.

Campaigning against cuts

Whilst housing benefit caps are causing immediate concern otherplanned benefit and tax changes have yet to be implemented orbecome law. These changes are facing significant opposition.For more details of ongoing anti-cuts campaigns visitwww.falseeconomy.org.uk

Some of other the major benefit changes that will come into effectover the next 18 months include:

� Universal Cap – A proposed universal cap will place a ceiling onthe amount of benefits a claimant can receive in total. The currentproposal set out in the Welfare Reform Bill places the limit at£26,000 which is equivalent to the average working family incomeafter tax.

� Tax Credits – Changes to the working families tax credits willmean that from April 2012 a couple with children must betweenthem work 24 hours rather than the current 16 to qualify for theannual saving of £3,870.

� Child Benefit – Proposed changes to child benefit will cut theentitlement for families where there is a high-rate tax payer in thehousehold from January 2013. This is under review.

� Disability Living Allowance (DLA) – A change from the DLA toPersonal Independence Payments will require all claimants toundergo an ‘objective assessment’ to confirm eligibility from April2013. A 20% cut in costs is expected by 2017 as a result.

� Council Tax Benefit – From April 2013 Council Tax Benefit will bereplaced by new localised schemes which aim to cut costs by10%. This will only apply to people of working age.

� Universal Credit – From October 2013 the current system ofseparate benefits and Tax Credits will gradually be replaced bya single, new benefit. The phased transfer should be completeby October 2017.

What can we do?We need to urgently collect the storiesof those that are affected to combinethis with the statistics and strengthenthe case for additional support.

We believe the voluntary andcommunity sector could play a role inensuring families that do move are putin touch with the support services thatcan make their move easier. If you are

aware of families that are affectedand in need of advice and supportwe suggest you first refer them to thecouncil Housing Benefit departmentfor advice from housing officer.Voluntary sector advice agencies canalso offer support.

Please visit the Advice Nowwebsite for details of these.

www.advicehubkc.org/housing

POVERTY WATCHHelp us build the evidence

of how the benefit changes areaffecting local residents.

Send us your stories and informationyou have collected.

Contact Angela Spence to find out moreangela@kcsc.org.uk

www.kcsc.org.uk/povertywatch

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S P O T L I G H T O N . . . L E G A L A I D R E F O R M

6

The legal aid bill iscurrently working its waythrough parliament.Despite several defeats inthe House of Lords it isdue to become law inOctober 2012. The billproposes to cut the rightto legal aid in a numberof ‘social welfare’ areasincluding housing,welfare benefits, debt,employment, immigrationand education.

In Kensington and Chelsea75% of Legal Help Funding will belost – this is the highest reductionfacing any London Borough andthese cuts come at a time whenlegal advice services are alreadyunder pressure.

We spoke toHarry Tedstone,Co-ordinator ofAdvice Nowabout what thecuts mean forlocal adviceagencies andresidents.

How will the cuts affect adviceservices in the borough?The precise details of how theagencies will be affected are notyet known. However, thereduction in funding will inevitablylead to a reduction in servicesespecially at the specialist level.All the advice agencies will beaffected to a greater or lesserextent and cuts in central andlocal government funding at thesame time could easily act as a“double whammy” to thesustainability of someorganisations.

Locally, how many people willbe affected?We currently advise 2540 peoplevia Legal Help funding. This figurewill reduce to 635 which will onlybe in a few cases in housing anddebt. However, the number ofpeople affected may be muchwider as many voluntary sectorservices run very tight shipsfinancially and the withdrawal ofone part of their funding couldeasily tip the scales of theirfinancial viability.

How are agencies working tolimit the impact of the cuts?A lot of agencies are looking touse volunteers to maintain theircapacity, many of whom havebeen trained by Advice Now. InKensington and Chelsea the localauthority and the advice sectorare working together to cope withthe reduction in funding toprovide services, recognising thatlocal knowledge is vitallyimportant to understand and dealwith local need. The voluntarysector generally is known for itsagility to adapt to a changingenvironment. However, with tri-borough issues still unknown, andboth central and localgovernment not providing anyvision for the future it has beenchallenging to develop any longterm business plan.

Is anybody challengingthe cuts?There are many nationalcampaigns fighting the cuts –Access to Justice Campaignbeing the most high profile.Locally the importance of thevoluntary advice sector isrecognised at officer level.

I believe that the cuts not onlyhave to challenged but ultimatelymanaged. The local voluntarysector in the Borough has a longhistory of working together in the

best interest of those who livework or study here. Its focus willremain the same - to provide aquality advice service to those inmost need in our community.

Where can people find outabout the advice services thatare available in the borough?The Advice Now partnership hasworked hard with the rest of thevoluntary sector community andthe local authority to create betterpathways to advice. The issue forme is maintaining the quality ofthe advice given.

I always say the best thing anadviser can know is “What youdon’t know!” and then they needto refer a case to someone whodoes know.

We have provided training tomany local community clientspecific groups who are nowequipped to recognise issues thatresidents may require advice on,where they can assist in givinginitial advice and where theyrecognise that they should referto a specialist adviser.

For more information seewww.advicehubkc.org or ring0300 012 54 64.

The threat to legaladvice services

The Kensington andChelsea Advice Forumbrings together the

borough’s main adviceproviders. It meets fivetimes per year and itsnext meeting is onThursday 12th April.

All advice providers arewelcome.

www.kcsc.org.uk/kcaf

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Social value is theadditional benefit to acommunity over andabove the direct specificimpact of a particularprogramme or activity.Community Matters gives thisexample: ‘the direct value of aproject to teach IT skills to theunemployed would be an increasein IT skills in the workforce andfewer unemployed. But its socialvalue might extend to and includean increase in the confidence ofpeople who have been throughthe programme which might leadto greater participation in localdecision making’.

Why is Social Value flavour ofthe month?The public services bill is set tobecome law meaning all publicsector contracts will need toinclude social value provisions.This follows the government’s‘Best Value’ guidance last year

that said that local authoritiesshould consider the wider socialvalue of a service when makingcommissioning decisions. Thiswill have big implications forvoluntary and communityorganisations wishing to deliverpublic contracts as our work oftenhas a wider social impact thanthat of private sectororganisations.

Why is Social Value worthmeasuring?‘Doing more for less’, is acommon mantra and often thistranslates into ‘value for money’.A requirement to demonstrate‘added value’ to funders is likelyto improve your chances ofsuccess in securing a contract.And no doubt other stakeholderstoo will be interested to hearabout the difference you aremaking to your local community.Working through a social valuemeasuring tool can help youunderstand, articulate andcommunicate the value of whatyou do. It can also help you

reflect on your organisation’sstrengthens and weaknesses andareas for improvement tomaximise your impact.

Measuring your Social ValueMeasuring your social value is notstraightforward and there can bedifficulties in proving a certainoutcome was a result of yourintervention rather than aconsequence of many othercomplex factors. However thereare a number of tools that havebeen developed that provideuseful frameworks for gettingstarted, below are two you maywant to consider:

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PA R T N E R S H I P S & F O R UM S

Measuring your Social Value

Social Return on Investment(SROI)

SROI is a well recognised and sophisticatedtechnique that measures social value andcoverts it into pounds and pence.

For example a training programme for ex-offenders may show that for every £1 invested£10 of social value was created. Applying amonitory value to social outcomes is clearlyattractive to funders and the SROI approachhas been championed by central government.However SROI can be a complex and timeconsuming process which can also beexpensive as you may need to buy in supportfrom an SROI practitioner.

Visit the New Economics Foundation (NEF)website to find out more about SROI and alsoabout accessing training in the techniquewww.neweconomics.org/projects/social-return-investment

Your ValueCommunity Matters has developed this easy touse tool to help voluntary and communityorganisations demonstrate their social value. Itis a simpler and less resource intensivealternative to SROI so therefore moreappropriate for smaller organisations. The toolis made up of a series of questions completedonline which are then used to generate a report.

Take a look to see a demonstration of thetool here:www.communitymatters.org.uk/yourvalue

SPECIAL DISCOUNT OFFERThe Social Council has purchased 4 YourValue accounts at a 50% discounted rate of£60 (rather than £120). These are beingoffered to local organisations. If you areinterested in taking one of these accountsplease call Siobhan on 020 7243 9807 orSiobhan@kcsc.org.uk.We can also offer support to help you fill inthe tool should you need it.

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Upcoming Events Jubilee Garden PartyBank Holiday Monday,4 June 12 noon – 6 pm

The Green, Thorpe Close,Ladbroke Grove

Come and share some healthy foodand why not enter the spirit bybringing along something to share?Swap stories in our life stories tentand bring the kids to enjoyplayground games and a bouncycastle. Prizes to be won in a raffleand entertainment to enjoy.

This event will be a celebration of ourvibrant multicultural North Kensingtonneighbourhood. We hope to be joinedby all ages, groups and ethnicities.Don’t forget to pass on the invite!

Trustee SeminarThursday 29 March,5.45 pm – 8.15 pmLondon Lighthouse

Funding FairFriday 1 June, 10.30am – 3pmLyric Theatre, Hammersmith

Make sure the date is in you diaries!Our annual Funding Fair just getsbetter, this year we will be co-hostingthe event with our colleagues fromCaVSA Hammersmith & Fulham andVoluntary Action Westminster.

DAT E S F O R YOUR D I A RY

� Information Governance for health andsocial care providersTuesday 27 March, 9.30am – 4.30pmA practical workshop to help with commissioning.

� Kensington and Chelsea Advice ForumThursday 12 April, 2.30pm – 4.30pmNetworking and coordination meeting between theborough’s advice agencies.

� Voluntary Sector Bus TourWednesday 18 April, 10.30am – 4pmA chance for local statutory officers to gain an insightinto the work of voluntary organisations.

� Trustee SeminarThursday 29 March, 5.45pm – 8.15pmThis seminar will focus on trusteeship in difficult timesand HR issues. Delivered as part of Get on Board.

� Health & Wellbeing Voluntary Organisations ForumTuesday 17 April, 10am – 12.30pmIncluding a look at the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.

� Engaging Communities Voluntary OrganisationsForumWednesday 25 April, 10am – 12noonCovering issues relating to equalities, communitycohesion and sustainable communities.

� Children, Young People and Families VoluntaryOrganisations ForumWednesday 16 May, 10am – 12.30pmFor all those working locally with children, young peopleand families.

� Main Voluntary Organisations ForumTuesday 29 May, 9.45am –1pmBringing together the borough’s voluntary andcommunity organisations to share information on localand national developments.

� Funding Fair 2012Friday 1 June, 10.30am – 3pmYour chance to meet with funders, learn about newfunding and pick up tips to help you generate income.

� Jubilee Garden PartyMonday 4 June, 12noon – 6pmAn informal get together for all of the community.Come along!

Event details including dates and times are alwayssubject to change. Please check the Social Councilwebsite for the latest information.www.kcsc.org.uk/events

Calling all trustees!Have you booked your place at ourGet on Board trustee seminar yet?Come along and get advice on howto guide your organisation throughdifficult times and put youremployment related questions to aHR advisor.

Get on BoardIf you are a trusteelooking for support oran organisation looking for trusteesGet on Board is for you.

The project run jointly between theSocial Council and Volunteer CentreK&C offers help with recruitment,training, advice and networking.

www.kcsc.org.uk/get-on-board

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