Buckinghamshire County Council CIB Trustee Event Martin Phillips

Buckinghamshire County Council Introduction Big Society – Central Government Vision Pressures on the VCS sector and Trustees role

Buckinghamshire County Council Big Society in Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire has a greater number of charities per head than the average UK ratio VCS sector already doing a massively significant job in Bucks Examples of Big Society achievements already in Buckinghamshire: Community Libraries Youth Clubs Car Schemes Bucks Big Society Bank Delegation of services/decision making

Buckinghamshire County Council Devolution Service and Budget pressures VS devolving Power and Responsibility Resulting in Less anti-social behaviour Informal, supportive networks Flexible approach rather than a one size fits all approach Issues around Democratic legitimacy and risk Trust

Buckinghamshire County Council Trustees Role Support Leadership Active Control Swift Judgements Increasing appetite for risk Financial sustainability

Buckinghamshire County Council Conclusion Turbulent times are a test of resilience. It may be hard always to remain optimistic; but you can remain steadfast. being a trustee is a real part-time job, albeit an unpaid one. It takes up much more time than you are initially told. Inevitably, this means that those with the most time available (but not necessarily the most relevant skills) will be the ones to volunteer for extra duties. Boards need a mix of skills and experience. Passion for the cause is, of course, essential but it is not the only criterion.