CTA Conference
The future
The final section of the conference bravely looked at the future and in particular what might happen following the next General Election in 2015. Now that is brave. One of the most interesting presentations was from Jude Winter, Deputy CEO of HCT/CT Plus standing in for Anna Witty, CEO ECT Charity (what used to be Ealing CT). HCT/CT Plus is the largest social enterprise company operating in the transport sector. It turns over £30m and carries more than 12 million passengers a year. It started life as Hackney Community Transport and indeed that operation still remains part of the organisation. But these days the HCT part of the company operates with CTs all over the country whilst the CT Plus side looks after commercial operations, running bus services in many places including London and last year took over services on Jersey and Guernsey. All the profits generated by the CT Plus operation are ploughed back to support and develop the HCT side of the business.
Jude Winter
Jude told the audience that it was their duty to make sure that local councils understood their duties under the Social Value Act, and many of them didn’t, she claimed.
She called on all sectors to make sure that procurement procedures were robust and fit for purpose and she urged everyone to maintain pressure on the Government to keep CT high on the Agenda. She also said that the Government was not meeting its obligations on the Human Rights legislation, especially in the area of disabled accessibility particularly on rural services. She called on all bodies to pressurise the Government into recognising the need for truly accessible buses in rural areas and to come up with a scheme that made that a realistic achievement aim for CTs. ‘Despite the pressures,’ she said, ‘they have to find the money to support CTs properly.’
She also called on the Government to set up a CT Innovation Fund and set up a system where all sides involved with tackling isolation and disadvantage through the lack of adequate transport – passengers, CT groups, Health Trusts, Local councils etc. – can come together and find solutions to the problems. This should not be a talking shop but an action group properly resourced which could solve the problems which have blighted society for years once and for all. ‘The will is there, the commitment is there,’ she said, ‘it just needs bringing together – and it needs to be properly resourced.’
Conclusion
Dr Stephen Hickey, Chair CTA
It was a packed agenda, over 18 different speakers plus plenty of time for questions, all very skilfully handled (and run to time!) by the CTA Chair, Dr Stephen Hickey. I was hugely encouraged by the event, particularly the realism that whether some like it or not the CT Sector and the commercial sector have got to work together. It is time to put old prejudices aside and sit down together, co-operate with each other and make it work. That it can be achieved was amply demonstrated by organisations like EYMS and North Holderness CT, Manchester CT, HCT/CT Plus and the operations in Devon.
