Tories miss the point on Year of the Volunteer
The Conservative Administration voted against Cllr David Kendall's move to make 2011 "The Year of the Volunteer" in Brentwood. The move would have resulted in a consolidated campaign to promote and further volunteering in the borough for the benefit of all residents.
Cllr Kendall said:
"This decision means a missed opportunity for Brentwood. We fully acknowledge that there is a thriving volunteer movement in the borough, but this was a way of bringing it all together under one umbrella and promoting it prominently to those who want to get involved through a year of concentrated campaigning."
Cllr Karen Chilvers, who seconded the motion, said:
"I appealed to the committee to support this motion and build a campaign for 2011 to highlight how you can volunteer in the borough. As a chartered marketer, I explained how it would be beneficial to bring all strands together in one campaign and really promote the volunteering opportunities. However, it seems the Conservatives were too concerned with their own agenda to think about what might be the best approach. Rather than adopt the campaign, they said it was in their "Corporate Strategic Plan" and would be marketed as such - but that is hardly as easily marketable as "Year of the Volunteer" which would resonate with local residents."
The motion was supported by all opposition members, with the Conservative majority voting against. Interestingly, two senior Conservative members chose to abstain.