Guidance

VAPC London: meeting minutes 15 December 2020

Updated 19 December 2024

Present

• Bill Charles (BC) – Chairman
• Heather Betts (HB)
• Jim Evans (JME)
• Lynn Calame (LC)
• Roger Hood (RH)
• Ken Courtenay (KC)
• Alex Jablonowski (AJ) *Nick Sharpe (NS) *Alex Woolgar Toms (AWT)
• Matthew Seward (MS)
• Wendy Morris (WM)
• Jim Blake (JB)
• Marion Knight (Secretary) MK

Apologies

• Paul Clabburn (PC)
• Andrew Ross (AR)

Welcome and introductions

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting

Apologies for absence

PC was not feeling well (happily his Covid test was negative).

AR had another engagement.

Declaration of interest

The Chairman reminded Committee members that they must declare any interest arising out of their personal/business life which could conflict with VAPC business. No declarations were made.

Minutes of 23 September meeting

The minutes had been circulated and approved following the meeting of 23 September 2020 and were now published by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

Update from meetings of chairs’ committee

BC had provided a written report and some comments on the meetings, including the meeting with the Minister on 17 November 2020 and (1) the brief sent to the Minister for that meeting, and (2) the memorandum (with attachments) and the Way ahead document (with attachments) which had been sent to the Minister in December.

BC had reported in writing that there was optimism that the Minister would give guidance as sought and that this would result in the clarification and identification of roles for VAPCs as summarized in the Way Ahead document and so the definition of roles for VAPCs across the UK that will enable them to add value.

It is apparent that if these roles are accepted and promoted by the Minister, LVAPC will need to consider its approach to implementing them and this is likely to introduce changes from the approach it has taken in the past.

BC is on the small working party of the Chairs that has been formed to progress the Way Ahead for VAPCs in the New Year.

A brief discussion followed. It did not raise any points of disagreement on the approach taken by the Chairs.

Competition

BC had provided a written report on this prior to the interviews that had recently taken place. He confirmed that the panel had interviewed 18 applicants and that a number of them had been outstanding and very good candidates. He hoped that during 2021 the committee would have 19 or 20 members.

Induction/training of new members

HB identified the need for central training for new members (and chairs) across the 13 regions. BC agreed and said that he understood that some was being planned, but that it was likely that LVAPC would need to provide some itself, not least because of the developments relating to the roles of VAPCs. Also, there would be a need to introduce the new members and to provide them with an opportunity to advance their ideas.

The advantages of a short period of mentoring were raised and acknowledged and the existing members were happy to take this on.

It was concluded, subject to review when the appointments were known, that a separate meeting should be convened with a time estimate of about an hour at which (1) a member or members would give a short talk or talks on what they thought had worked well in the past (i.e. getting people together and acting as a stimulant or catalyst for work by others), (2) each new member would introduce themselves and (3) there would then be a discussion on the way forward for the newly constituted committee (the majority of whose members will be new).

It is likely that this meeting should take place before all the new appointments were made and should be attended by those who were to be appointed as and when gaps were available. The members who were leaving in 2021 expressed their willingness to be flexible on their departure dates.

Updated on projects

Housing

PC had reported in writing.

The application for financial support had been submitted to the supervisor-led track, and despite positive feedback, the bid was not successful at the final stage. However, the student led track remains available, and is now being pursued. It will be submitted by the student in January 2021. PC will report back on its progress.

New members will be asked to take over the lead and to work on this project. In the meantime, BC will assist if asked.

Employment

AJ had provided the VETS newsletter.

Tribunals/Vets UK administration of war pensions and AFCS

BC reported that at the open meeting of the Chairs at which Vets UK had reported its performance, which included the average times for dealing with claims, he offered to write about this to Rob Rowntree and Andy Dowds to advance constructive suggestions on his experience at the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber)– which had had similar problems on turnround times for appeals.

He had done this and followed up on the reply received by saying that he hoped that in the New Year LVAPC would be invited to take an active part in the work planned on Vets UK’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and other methods for measuring administrative performance / efficiency and that he thought that members of LVAPC would be able to provide constructive help on this and that this type of two-way process should be at the heart of the relationship between Vets UK and LVAPC.

Before this correspondence BC had had earlier discussions about Vets UK’s administration and performance with HB who was considering whether her resignation from BLESMA and move out of London should prompt her resignation from LVAPC. BC thought that her experience and relationship with Vets UK would be very useful in pursuing efforts to take a constructive role with Vets UK on the matters he had raised with them. She agreed to do this.

Roundtable

There was a meeting that afternoon (BC and JB attended it)

Alex Page (Community Engagement and Delivery of the Armed Forces Council in London) also attended, and she welcomed a suggestion that BC should write to her in the New Year about ways in which LVAPC could assist her with or co-operate with her work. (This suggestion reflects the discussions minuted under items 9, 10 and 11).

Annual report of LVAPC

Re-introduction of work set out in the annual report for 2018 under the heading veterans and engagement

A survey of armed forces champions - other ideas for specific projects/work streams for the London region

These were discussed together and overlapped with items 5 and 7.

The following points were raised:

• frustration at the lack of a clear role and strategy for LVAPC (in particular by NS but echoed by others)

• the lack of follow up after the housing workshop in 2019 with AFCs contacted as part of the work leading up to the workshop (although KC mentioned that he was still in contact with the councils he had approached . PC also confirmed he had continued to do so as well – see below

• for a long time now, no one had continued the visits and work with the Veterans Welfare Service referred to in the 2018 report

• what LVAPC had been good at in the past was bringing people together and thereby acting as a catalyst or stimulant for them to support veterans

• there were some advantages in and lessons to be learned from video meetings and webinars (e.g., those of VETS UK)

• apart from work on the centenary and support for the application for further funding for a research student to continue the housing project no new projects had been begun in 2019 and 2020

• Subject to the renewed funding application relating to housing research and continued participation in VETS, the list of projects for new members is, as matters stand, a blank piece of paper.

The survey that had been drafted should not be sent out because it was concluded that there was a real risk that the members would not be able to follow it up, progress with the Way Ahead document submitted to the Minister would add clarity and value to the project, and the numbers and skills of the new members in 2021, would be relevant to the decision to carry out the survey and importantly the follow up to it.

It was acknowledged that the 2020 report would reflect 2 and 3 above.

BC however indicated that he intended to write to Alex Page in relation to a survey of Armed Forces Champions and more generally to investigate whether LVAPC could assist her (particularly with her work relating to the Armed Forces Covenant in London) or obtain useful information / data from her.

The lack of information / data in the hands of LVAPC and the range of potential sources for it were discussed

• MS referred to the Legion and the census as sources of relevant information
• HB acknowledged that BLESMA held relevant information
• RH referred to a contact of his at SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association) who he could contact
• JB referred to veterans’ hubs established by ambulance, police and fire services in Surrey
• KC referred to his contact with the councils he had contacted in connection with the housing research
• AWT referred to the possibility that Understanding Society may have relevant information and stated that he would put together a spreadsheet gathering together information on Armed Forces Champions in the London boroughs (which he did and circulated shortly after the meeting).
• JME said that he would provide the way in which the G Drive containing material that is now probably mainly of only historical interest could be accessed (he did this shortly after the meeting)
• post meeting NS raised the possibility that those responsible for administering the Armed Forces Pension would have relevant information
• BC mentioned that one of the interview panel worked for the Veterans Welfare Service and he had told her that he would be writing to her after Christmas about re-establishing relationships with those working for that service who had regular contact with veterans to try and identify recurrent problems faced by veterans and how LVAPC might be able to assist the Welfare Service and the veterans they see.

It was agreed that all members should reflect and act on this discussion by (1) seeking information / data from their contacts or sources available to them and (2) reporting back to the committee in February 2021 on what they had done and their ideas on recurrent problems faced by veterans that the committee might address in 2021.

Bank account

AJ provided a Treasurer’s’ report and explained that he would be handing over this role to MS, as this would be his last meeting as a LVAPC member.

AJ will be contacting the bank to arrange the change of signatories for the Bank Account and it was resolved that:

The Authorised Signatories in the current mandate will be , for the accounts in section 1.3 , be changed in accordance with section Authorised Signatories and the current mandate will continue as amended.

• the signatories to be removed are Alexander Jablonowski, Lynn Verity and James Blake

• the signatories to be added are William Charles, Marion Knight and Matthew Seward.

• AJ was thanked for all the work he had done for the LVAPC

Date and venue of the next meeting

MK would circulate proposed dates for 2021, which MK did post the meeting and suggested dates are:

• Wednesday 24 March 2021
• Wednesday 23 June 2021
• Wednesday 22 September 2021
• Wednesday 15 December 2021

All members have been asked to confirm their agreement to these dates by the 19th January 2021.

A training / induction meeting may need to be added.

BC and MK need to liaise to confirm how these meetings will be held and that the RAF Benevolent Fund is kept up to date.

Any other business

• LC indicated that she would not be seeking reappointment outside the competition when her term of membership expired in 2021

• after the meeting AR informed BC that he would not be seeking reappointment outside the competition when his term of membership expired in 2021

• it was agreed and confirmed that MWT would take over from JME as Vice Chair when JME’s membership ended in 2021.