Archived decisions

JOB TITLE: Village Halls Adviser (Part-time)

REPORTING TO: Senior Rural Officer

JOB PURPOSE

The purpose of this post is to assist village halls across Hampshire to become more effectively managed, and responsive to the needs of the communities they serve. The post-holder will build the capacity of the volunteer village hall committees by providing advice, guidance, information and support; assisting them to comply with all relevant legislation; and proactively enabling them to meet the current and future needs of their communities.

The Village Halls Adviser will be part of a national network, which is supported and developed by the Village Hall Information Service run by ACRE (Action for Communities in Rural England).

JOB CONTEXT

Community Action Hampshire (CAH) is the countywide Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) and Hampshire's Rural Community Council (RCC). CAH has over 50 years' experience of working with and supporting Hampshire's voluntary and community organisations and rural communities. It is our aim to strengthen their contribution to the quality of life of people living in Hampshire. We do this by providing specialist advice and information services together with practical help, encouraging equal partnership between the voluntary, public and private sectors, and providing a voice for Hampshire's voluntary & community sector and rural communities.

The Village Halls Adviser will be a member of the Community and Voluntary Sector Support Team. S/he will work closely with other colleagues whose work focuses particularly on rural communities. This work includes:

· Community action planning

· Rural affordable housing project

· Community development projects

· Rural proofing

· Advocating on behalf of Hampshire's rural communities

· Representing the issues facing Hampshire's rural communities to policy makers

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

Providing advice, guidance and support

a) To help meet the legislative needs of village hall committees for advice, information and support on a range of issues such as:

· governance;

· licensing;

· insurance;

· constitutions and incorporation;

· roles and responsibilities of trustees

b) To help meet the best practice needs of village hall committees for advice, information and support on a range of issues such as:

· business and financial planning;

· public relations;

· marketing;

· monitoring and evaluation;

· training and skills development

(The postholder would not necessarily have the expertise to provide support directly, but should develop links for appropriate signposting as required).

c) To assist groups in the preparation of grant applications. The postholder will be expected to signpost groups to appropriate assistance, and quickly develop his/her own capabilities to provide this support directly.

d) To respond to a range of questions and queries of concern to Village Hall Committees

Development

e) To proactively support village hall committees in the areas identified above.

f) To assist in identifying and developing new uses for the village hall.

g) To promote the concept of the "eco-friendly" hall and support committees to introduce elements as appropriate

h) To promote best practice to village hall committees, and encourage committees to adopt a nationally recognised benchmarking scheme.

i) When necessary, arrange training courses, workshops or briefing events on specific subjects.

j) To contribute to the development of new ideas, initiatives and funding applications.

Promoting Awareness

k) To build productive links with communities across Hampshire to ensure that the Village Halls Adviser is the first point of contact for support.

l) To update and maintain a comprehensive database of Hampshire's village halls, contacts, and other details as relevant.

m) To raise awareness of village hall issues through the production of information sheets, briefings and a regular Village Halls Newsletter.

n) To establish and maintain effective working relationships with appropriate colleagues, both internal and external

o) To arrange an annual Village Halls Conference for Hampshire.

Representation

p) To ensure that strong and effective links are built and maintained with statutory authorities, ACRE, colleagues around the country, and other relevant bodies.

q) To ensure that the needs of village halls are represented and communicated to statutory authorities at local, district and national levels.

r) To ensure that up to date knowledge and information regarding village halls is added to CAH's existing evidence base.

Professional Updating

s) To keep up to date with legislation and developments relating to village halls, and undertake appropriate training and skills development.

t) To attend meetings of your peers and colleagues. This may occasionally involve travel outside Hampshire.

General Duties:

u) To attend and participate in CAH's and Hampshire County Council's internal meetings where appropriate (as described in conditions of grant offer).

v) To liaise with other staff members and County Council Officers to ensure effective exchange of information.

w) To comply with CAH's monitoring and recording requirements.

x) To represent and promote the organisation's work positively.

y) To carry out all work with due regard to CAH's policies and procedures.

z) Any reasonable additional tasks as requested by your line manager or other senior staff.

Some administrative support may be available to the Village Halls Advisor, although it is expected that the post-holder will be largely self-servicing. Some work outside office hours will be required, as Village Hall Committees often meet in the evening. This post involves travelling around some very rural areas of Hampshire.

This is a description of the post as it is presently constituted. It is the practice of CAH to periodically review job descriptions and to update them. This process will be conducted in consultation with you. It is the aim of the organisation to reach agreement on any changes but if agreement cannot be reached, the organisation reserves the right to insist on such changes to your job description, after consultation with you.

JOB TITLE: Village Halls Advisor