The IHBC’s Council, the Institute’s inclusive member-only advisory and training body held its fifth online meeting on 30 March, as advertised HERE, with the election of a new Vice President – Rebecca Thompson – and the launch of a consultation on the IHBC petitioning for a Royal Charter among its highlights.
… Congratulations….to Rebecca Thompson, the IHBC’s first elected Vice President….her nomination was overwhelmingly endorsed….
Congratulations were offered to Rebecca Thompson, the IHBC’s first elected Vice President under our new Articles, after her nomination was overwhelmingly endorsed by delegates across all IHBC membership categories.
Delegates also heard from a South West Branch nominee on an issue raised at their recent AGM, after the Branch brought the issue forward for the attention of the IHBC’s Council. It concerned workload pressures and impacts on well-being – and what an acceptable workload might be – asking too if under-investment in local authority resources is a main cause.
A lively and interesting discussion followed in which it became apparent that many members both in local authorities and private practice felt this to be an issue: ‘I am a conservation officer ….. There is only so much you can do, and as much as I am passionate about historic buildings, health is clearly more important’, reported one delegate.
IHBC Officers committed to continuing their awareness-raising – with government and its agencies – on the myriad pressures faced by IHBC members and local authorities, including through the IHBC-supported All Party Parliamentary Group on Conservation Places and People. Officers also committed to devise a plan for gathering information to extend that advocacy, and to work with other bodies to give this issue the profile it needs, including though the IHBC’s Charter-related consultation investigations, outreach and engagement.
Council also hear from the IHBC’s Education, Training and Application Support Officer Anna Hart as she highlighted the latest developments in the IHBC’s new Affiliate member applications. This included the new suite of streamlined material making it simpler and easier to apply for the Affiliate member category, with shorter forms, drop-in online surgeries and a helpful video, all as outlined on the new dedicated webpage HERE.
Anna also explained that the resources would continue to evolve – including with select sample content for application forms – as this pilot stage of the support programme progressed. Targeting the needs of early-career practitioners that the new Affiliate member category should encourage was considered especially important there. That should help clarify routes for career progress for those engaged professionally in the IHBC’s uniquely multi-disciplinary model of conservation practice.
IHBC Council Chair Mike Brown also announced the opening of the booking for the Institute’s 2023 Annual School, ‘Climate Change and the Historic Environment; Resilience and Performance’. This will take place both on line and in Swansea, from 21-24 June, and centre on the stand-alone Day School on Friday 23 June. For booking and more see the #IHBCSwansea 2023 website and the launch NewsBlog.
The other main business of the afternoon was the launch of the member consultation on the IHBC’s exploration of a petition for a Charter, with presentations, questions and discussions. After short presentations on the background work to date, including on newly commissioned independent research, IHBC Director Seán O’Reilly reviewed how the work to date underpinned the IHBC’s corporate commitments as formally agreed with the membership most recently at the 2020 AGM.
Given the scale of member interest, the opening of the consultation at the Council would advance first through developing a web-based resource to facilitate member and sector access to petition-related matters and consultation feedback. That would help members access and clarify research, information, observations and opinion on options around the IHBC petitioning for a Royal Charter.
The next Council meeting will be on 13 July 2023 – put it in your diary to join in.
See more details on the IHBC Council HERE
See the Council Briefing Note on the petition HERE
See more on the #IHBCpetitionforcharter
