CWT and Civic Voice - TrustNews Jun 14
The Trust has had two engagements recently with Civic Voice, as the umbrella body for civic societies marks its 4th birthday.
Judith Martin represented the Trust in the Palace of Westminster at a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Civic Societies, which was hosted by the Group's chair, Laura Sandys, MP for Thanet South, and addressed by Kris Hopkins, Housing minister. Griff Rhys Jones, President of Civic Voice, and Dr Freddie Gick, its chair, also both spoke, Griff Rhys Jones amply demonstrating how thoroughgoing his engagement with the sector is. Two or three MPs were also present. In a handsome panelled room representatives of about a dozen societies, mostly from London and the south east, heard the minister speak about the difficulties of providing the required numbers of new houses while preserving the countryside, the green belt and the natural environment. The trust representatives were able to quiz the minister and the chair, and also heard from some outside attendees who included an architect from the John Thompson Partnership (JTP), which is advising CALA on Barton Farm. The JTP architect spoke of their work at Caterham Barracks, which the City of Winchester Trust has visited and admired; and we have to hope that this level of civic involvement will result in something similar for Barton Farm.
The All Party Parliamentary Group was launched in the Commons in November 2011 and has some 78 members, including Steve Brine.
A week later, this time in Westminster Central Hall, Keith Leaman, with Judith Martin again, were at Civic Voice’s first annual Duncan Sandys Lecture, and the launch of the publication which celebrates the movement so associated with him, a copy of which is now in our CWT library. Again, Griff Rhys Jones spoke of the need for the work of the societies, and then, to an audience of about 80 people from as far afield as Alnwick and Bristol, introduced Laura Sandys to give the lecture, which she called ‘Power to the People‘.
Laura Sandys is the daughter of Duncan Sandys and so was brought up to see and discuss - and attempt to prevent - the ravages wrought on towns and cities in the aftermath of the second world war. She recalled the family trips where the car would screech to a halt and her father would get out to rail against some civic outrage: another demolition, another bit of miserable design. She spoke stirringly about the responsibilities of government and the need for civic society members to hold them to account. The only disappointment of the meeting was that there were no other MPs present.
Sadly Laura Sandys has said she will stand down at the next election. Who will take on the Civic Voice and APPG baton remains to be seen, but she has set an admirably high standard.