2007 Yearbook

INSTITUTE OF HISTORIC BUILDING CONSERVATION YEARBOOK 2007 16 I N R E V I E W CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS Seán O’Reilly, IHBC DIRECTOR As I look forward to another year as director of the IHBC, and the 10th anniversary of the institute proper, I am struck most by the radical transformation at the heart of the organisation. While the huge generosity of our volunteers continues to maintain the organisation’s remarkable publications, events and advocacy, corporate support has evolved dramatically. The IHBC’s corporate responsibilities include AGM papers, finances, business plans, data protection, HR, administration and much, much more. Although very affordable when run exclusively by volunteers, the workload has stretched beyond their capacity. Once a sparse territory populated by a few dedicated officers volunteering huge amounts of time, it has developed into something rather more substantial. The challenge in my first two years in the job has been to try to support our volunteers as they generate the core benefits to members, while still building up the business infrastructure, partnerships and services. These must achieve the high standards appropriate to a charitable operation and professional institute intent on expansion in a rapidly changing sector. Until now, most members and volunteers on the ground will not have seen much change in what was already an excellent package of membership benefits and advocacy. Among the highlights are the schools, the branch conferences, the national and branch publications, policy consultations and technical advice. However, behind this public face there has been a quiet revolution, with the council at its centre. As the diagram on page 4 shows, there is now a new infrastructure, light and flexible certainly, but substantial nonetheless, which is helping to direct, support and empower the corporate body of the institute. With this new business capacity operating in tandem with our voluntary support, we have secured some very important successes. These include the formal agreement of the chief executive officers at Historic Scotland and Cadw to cover IHBC membership subscriptions as an appropriate professional fee for staff, and (at least to date) informal agreement from English Heritage to do the same. We have also secured inscription on the so-called ‘List 3’ at the Inland Revenue which allows part of the cost of our members’ subscriptions to be offset against income tax. From August 2006 we have had a projects officer of the highest quality, Fiona Newton. This new post provides the infrastructure for a cost-effective R&D strategy centred on developing appropriate funding proposals and packages. Key projects undertaken so far, which include a survey of conservation services in English local planning authorities, have already raised the profile of our operations significantly. Furthermore, we now also have a membership services officer to help address the administrative implications of compulsory CPD, add capacity to the most needy of branches, and diversify income through service Ightham Mote, Kent, first home of the IHBC