30 10 310 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/8ee6f232bcf170fedddc03f32a4889a3.pdf 299aee1af0db7283b80111827b865346 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Professional Issues Description An account of the resource A cohort of NAM members became engaged with the professional registration body, standing as elected councillors on the Architects Registration Council and its various committees. Hitherto entirely dominated by the RIBA bloc, the Council began to yield to a new dynamic through NAM's involvement, enabling fresh perspectives on such issues as mandatory fee scales, greater lay representation on the body, ethically-based standards of professional conduct, etc. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Correspondence by Unattached Representatives regarding fee competition and certification Description An account of the resource Lx Quechee Q due % Sayan, ROU D2. x y, [rooG-2oh Ft A eh7 pu Co AL Lae @ Cop, ATUWL~0/ Hi Bf Bxtcon xLSr Aira. fy 60 Kingly Street Regent Street London W1R 6EY =f “1 Ce mm), [Tie . ira Pncere :=‘ ers and LandscapeArchitects\ Tel 01-734 857 3 ie withcompliments os CRLat fk |2,4ACU :aoeCTO). Car Gu 5 4-,whichea, lsscnslESs ae from parchewler fee sca la_ WS pro Sions / QSsotahsons hn He mot to promo Panos intere Ko of thee DRAINEAS NAA GopI i/ , ; ARQQA SL a brfos Su. Phar AS, AwwWf_> Cge> oy Aavyelop , P ee) eCncent conckhons (ACL = chverse ae BSiouCann) cha Ciliateshe resort fo ca Vio. aA be. intevezshelo ues yy Tho. tort Ne eras A a neta AVERT theAble. Irterestby a ds enhen ie of a mOTIOA oheh nad face oefeated otk ALCO pine ptt ay Moods. Cee | look). foce-acols of LOS aA-Y. (ouiie eS Ce - ae and Kobback, ye Repraantatves Une Hached ABR CUK of Aycbitets Ve NeueOss “Nice chye on fee Com pehhonr ere n aclisp ce of our Nay on Truartclany . / shad Direhon tke bo draco cnr aHenton fo 44whichA. olsscns/és ARCUK from ey fhok professions] oHempt to promo pachiileA fee Sc QESCASASEAS pr fheir Members , and thee Eoblic Interest La_ 1A, Fhe intere Re of- which Sa fegue rls bg enhoengng tho conckhons ( (in whe = cere of oe Saracens SS cloyelop wihinak Cemm, Hie A , In Pendent resor ann Mootter | look. forward, of: (OFS Zar fo an Vice pire Pncere f= or7 ar «hot aoes SS) Orckn wo) Ae merece EZ Our proposed | enclose for Onr Cconmcevrahon Be interce ote. d to read tho Tort WS, Hallam Shy om Toxscloy pore 24 IDG . London h/. of a MONA chth nuao re defeated ot ARCKESL pene! ‘papi is Ce ce ve kelerin C= Directive on Kee Competition The following rules are required in order to permit fee competitior and at the same time safeguard A.R.C.U.K.'s three "'tenets' of professionalism. (1) (3) Monopolies Commission Report, paragraph 281. Le Prior Agreement Between Architect & Client: 2. Safeguard Against Supplanting: oe Safeguard Against Touting: In adopting these rules A.R,C.U.K. may be required to alter other rules or principles that may contradict or inhibit the operation of these rules. Architects shall inform prospective Clients of the services to be provided and of their proposed fee and shall agree with their Client the terms of their engagement. An Architect shall neither accept an invitation, nor proceed to quote a fee for a prospective commission in knowledge of quotations already offered or to be offered by another Architect or Architects. (2) Architects shall not solicit either commissions or engagements for themselves or business for their Clients or Employers, but may make known their or their practice's availability or experience, including the services to be provided and proposed fee, by giving information which in substance and in presentation is factual, relevant, and neither misleading nor discreditable to the profession, in response to a direct request. The following additional direction is also required in order to safeguard the Public Interest G3)DF 4, Safeguard to Prevent any "Recommended" Scale assuming a de facto Monopoly: There shall be no reference in any A.R.C.U.K. publication to any specific "Conditions of Engagement" or recommended scales of charges. Any revised or new A.R.C.U.K. code should be deposited with the O,F,T.in order that the 0.F.T. may satisfy itself that its directives have been complied with. (1) "Way Ahead", AppendiIxV, “Annexe G". (2) "Way Ahead", page 23. ARCHITECTS REGISTRATION COUNCIL OF THE UNITED KINGDOM a Motion to the 190th Ordinary Meeting 10th October, 1979 on all registered persons. Proposer: Jobn S. Allan This Council no longer wishes to defy the Government's requirement that mandatory scale fees be abolished*, and therefore declares that application of Conditions of Engagement and a scale of charges published by one of its constituent bodies shall hereby cease to be binding Seconder: John D. Murray * "The requirement of the ARCUK Code of Professional Conduct that an arohitect shall not contract with his olient except on the basis of Conditions of Engagement and a soale of charges published by one of its constituent bodies should be abolished.” "The rules of ARCUK should be amended so as to permit an architect freely to quote a fee in competition with other architects and so as not to prevent competition for business on the basis of fees". "aArchitects' Services — A Report on the Supply of Architects' Services with Reference to Scale Fees", Ch.8, IV Recommendatione - 286, (i) & (ii). The Monopolies end Mergers Commission, HMSO. i L.G.Packer, Room 1034, Becket House, Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7ER Sir, Elected representatives of "unattached" architects, A.R.C.U.K. 75 Hallam Street, London W.1 4 July 1980 Proposed changes in the system of. building control in England and wales, We refer to your letter dated 6 June 1980, ref. BRA/759/23. We note from appendix B that comments have been invited from several architectural professional institutes and from certain trade unions with architect members, but not from the Architects Registration Council of the United Kingdom (ARCUK)- the govern- ing body of the profession, if it is your intention to seek the views of the architectural profession then only a fraction may be reached through the bodies listed in the appendix 5. This may be due to a misunderstanding and it may help to clarify the present structure of the profession and the role of ARCUK. Briefly, ARCUK is a statutory body constituted under the Architects Registration Acts 1931 & 38 to maintaina register of architects, to control entry to the register by professional qualification and to oversee the professional conduct of registered persons, Only persons registered under the Act may style themselves Narchitect"TM and entry on the register (not membership of a pro- fessional institute or trade union) is the sole definition of "architect", Council, which meets regularly, is composed of. nominees of architectural bodies laid down in the 1931 Act in proportion to their membership, elected representatives of registered outlined we have the following comments :- VW a) The Architects Registration Council maintains, in the public interest, a register of persons competent to provide architectural services and we suggest that in any system of self-certification Any person registered under the Act be considered a "competent person" for the purposes of certification, c) Architects registered under the Act should not be excluded as "competent persons" solely on the grounds of their residing in Scotland or Northern: Ireland, d) To protect the public interest, any person removed from the Register of Architects should automatically be removed from the register of "competent persons" if he entered that register by virtue of registration under the act. e) Any person resigning from the Register of architects should be deemed to have also resigned from the register of. "competent persons" if he entered this register by virtue of registration under the. Act, by "competent persons!! persons not being members of any of these bodies, in pro- portion to their numbers; and nominees of certain government departments and other professional bodies, It is as elected members of council that we write to you now, Coming to your proposals on changes in the system of building control it seems to us that the proposed system of self— certification is of particular concern to architects, The implications of these changes will no doubt become clearer as more detailed praposals are formulated but on the principles b) Membership of a professional institute or trade union should not endow an architect with greater status on the register of "competent persons" than an architect who is "unattached", De In any system of self— certification care be taken to prevent the increased liability of the certifier leading to indemnity insurance premiums prohibitive to the independent architect, xrours faithfully, YRAD Gut David Burney un behalf of : J.S.Allan n.F. Arnold D.J.Burney ».d.Cutmore P.W.Howe ¢.D,Murray D.Roebuck 2, Walker M.E.R.Roberts When more detailed proposals are formulated we may wish to comment further, if you would like any amplification of the above comments then please do not hesitate to contact the writer, As elected rep- resentatives of "unattached" architects on Council we have held discussions with present and previous Government ministers on matters affecting the architectural profession (including the recent monopilies Commission investigation into architects! services) and we would hope that this precedent would be followed in your consultation with the profession on the proposed changes in the system of building control. flected representatives of "unattached architects, A.R.C.U.K, Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unattached Representatives Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Murray Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource June 1980 Subject The topic of the resource Correspondence by Unattached Representatives regarding fee competition and certification https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/9d4a69afea6c347f2d309798eec19ed9.pdf 64633f2370416e320e4b7366ad264c96 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Professional Issues Description An account of the resource A cohort of NAM members became engaged with the professional registration body, standing as elected councillors on the Architects Registration Council and its various committees. Hitherto entirely dominated by the RIBA bloc, the Council began to yield to a new dynamic through NAM's involvement, enabling fresh perspectives on such issues as mandatory fee scales, greater lay representation on the body, ethically-based standards of professional conduct, etc. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Draft Ten Point Plan from Burnham Mill Meeting of Professional Issues Group Description An account of the resource BURNHAM DRAFT The Architect's Registration Council of the U.K. was established by Parliament to regulate the architectural profession in the public interest. All U.K. architects are subject to its discipline and must pay an annual retention fee to remain on its register. The Royal Institute of British Architects has, however, for its own self interest, prevented ARCUK from properly carrying out its statutory responsibilities. The undersigned all the elected councillors for 1979/80 and 1980/81 call for the immediate implementation of the following Ten Point Plan to enable ARCUK to operate in a proper manner in the interest both of the public and of the architectural profession. TEN POINT PLAN ( i) ‘The chairperson should be neutral. Council business should be conducted in an impartial manner. The chair of all committees, boards, panels etc. should be rotated among their respective members on a meeting to meeting basis. ii) All council meetings should be held at a neutral venue, not at the RIBA headquarters. ( iii) Al] ARCUK committees, visiting boards, selection panels, delegations and other bodies should be so constituted that their representation reflects accurately the composition of the council, that is, Elected architect members, nominees of the professional associations, Government nominees and non architect nominees from other professions, and other bodies. ( iv) The council should strictly observe its standing orders and its Regulations, as for example those governing the apportionment of seats. v) Votes taken in Council and Committees etc. should be properly conducted with the names of members voting for, against, and abstaining accurately recorded. ( vi) Full minutes of preceeding Committee meetings should form part of the Committee Reports to Council. ( vii) ARCUK should provide the elected councillors the facility to report back to and obtain the views of the electorate in order properly to discharge their responsibilities. (viii) The Council's Annual Report should include a minority report when necessary. Past reports have not accurately reflected diversity of opinion within the Council. ix) The misuse of ARCUK funds to subsidize RIBA activities should end. ARCUK should ensure that it takes the leading role in all activities that it sponsers and for which it has statutory responsibilities. Coappecto backs onc a Ab bz. YE Esliwesys ( x) All Council meetings, committees, boards and panels should be open to the public. BURNHAM MILL 24 February 1980 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unattached Reps Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Murray Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 1980 Subject The topic of the resource Draft Ten Point Plan from Burnham Mill Meeting of Professional Issues Group https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/ffe44e4d6e36781804a5ebb3b3850389.pdf 15ad4fd37c65317019740dda43699a52 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Trade Unions and Architecture Description An account of the resource Themes included action on asbestos and Health &amp; Safety, and involvement with Direct Labour Organisations and Building Unions. Following comparative research of possible options, NAM encouraged unionisation of building design staffs within the private sector, negotiating the establishment of a dedicated section within TASS. Though recruitment was modest the campaign identified many of the issues around terms of employment and industrial relations that underpin the processes of architectural production. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Unionisation Conference 14.5.77 Subject The topic of the resource Open letter & report re results of unionisation conference (4 sides) Description An account of the resource Dear UNIONISATION CONFERENCE MAY 14 1977 Gomt/ierer May 14 Unionisation Committee 26 May 1977 4Highshore Road London SE15 SAA As required by the "Special One-day Conference on Trade Union Organisation in Architecture and the Allied Building Professions", we enclose a short report on the conference proceedings, together with news of the Unionisation Committee's progress to date in working with TASS, in fulfilment of its obligations under the Second Conference resolution. As you may have read in the Press, the 1st London Branch of the 'Building Design Staff' section of TASS has been set up. The Committee visited TASS HQ in Richmond on Thursday 19 May when the AUEW-TASS Executive enthusiastically endorsed the formation of the new Building Design Staff Branch. The formal process will be completed at an inaugural meeting to be held in the New Ambassadors Hotel, Upper Woburn Place London WCl, on Tuesday 31 May at 6.30 p.m. Please try to attend. New members will be able to 'sign-up' on the spot and will be immediately eligible to participate in Branch affairs. Members outside London should join their local TASS branches and separate BDS branches will be formed when the numbers have grown. Ther will be, in due course, in addition to the London Branch, a National Advisory Committee to oversee the org- anising drive at national level and to provide a focus for regional Building Design Staff members who, as yet, have insufficient numbers to justify their own local branches. We have styled the conference-born committee "May 14 Unionisation Committee" as a means of distinguishing it from the old pre-conference committee and also from the London Branch Committee and the NAC. Clearly the member- ship and recruitment functions will be taken over by these latter bodies as soon as practicable but, in the meantime, we suggest you return the enclosed membership application form to the May 14 Committee at the above address (rather than direct to TASS) Conityirer Yours fraternally The conference was a success and we have been impressed by the efficiency and enthusiasm shown by all the TASS officials we have dealt with so far. The Committee is now working with TASS on the production of new recruiting literature and the TASS research dept. will soon be taking up some of the topics raised by the conference. It is important that we keep up this momentum and hope that you will join TASS as quickly as possible and begin the work of organising union recognition where you work. Join Tass now! where no other union is recognised. Keep the Committee informed of your workplace situation. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unionisation Committee Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Allan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 26.5.77 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/2d10265b4f3796b93f5e09b658527076.pdf ec7c87c56f65afc983a2fdb1c670df1d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Trade Unions and Architecture Description An account of the resource Themes included action on asbestos and Health &amp; Safety, and involvement with Direct Labour Organisations and Building Unions. Following comparative research of possible options, NAM encouraged unionisation of building design staffs within the private sector, negotiating the establishment of a dedicated section within TASS. Though recruitment was modest the campaign identified many of the issues around terms of employment and industrial relations that underpin the processes of architectural production. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Architects building movement Subject The topic of the resource Report on NAM and Unionisation conference 1p in Science for People No 36 Description An account of the resource SPECIAL ONE-DAY CONFERENCE ON TRADE UNION ORGANISATION IN ARCHITECTURE & ALLIED BUILDING PROFESSIONS Held at St. Pancras Church Hall, Lancing St., London NW1 May 14 1977 REPORT The conference was attended by 61 participants holding full voting credentials. Of these 40 were employees in the private sector building professions(1l were women) The morning session was given over to debating which one union building design employees should organise within and culminated in the following resolutions:- Resolution 1 This conference urges all people employed in private sector offices in the building professions where no union is recognised to organise within AUEW-TASS and pledges its support to such an organising drive within AUEW-TASS Resolution 2 This Conference reqests the (Unionisation) Organising Committee, if it is willing, to make whatever arrangements are necessary with the union chosen by this conference in order to launch an organising drive among employees in the private sector of the building professions, to issue press statements in the name of this conference, and in general to carry out the will of this conference until such time as the appropriate trade union structures are fully established. The conference is to elect from the floor five additional members to the Committee. The Committee shall have the power to co-opt members. Resolution 3 The Committee is to convene a conference within six months to discuss progress in unionisation in London & nationally. This conference is to involve workers in the private and public sectors to discuss pay, conditions and the state of the building industry. Six members wre nominated for the Committee, from the floor and these were all accepted onto the Committee with- out a vote. This Committee is now known as the 'May 14 Unionisation Committee' Gont/eee Contt/s1-1- The address to contact is:- The Secretary 4 Highshore Road Peckham London SE15 5AA Before lunch the vote was taken and counted. The decision was overwhelmingly for AUEW-TASS The afternoon was devoted to wide ranging informal debate on the various issues on which the organising drive should focus, including pay and conditions, workloads, contracts of employment, and the disparity in earnings between public and private sector employees. There was also considerable feeling that a union of Arch- itectural workers should go beyond the bread and butter issues, important as they are, and tackle wider environ- mental concerns, professional accountability, resisting anti-social developments etc. Policies on such matters would no doubt be formulated both by the NAC and of course by fraternal NAM groups. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unionisation Committee Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Murray Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May 1977 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/d84c830d6cd0c0e3b6eaa8ccb0bfe4a7.pdf f476cb70d62f2c8a59d24fc14cab7039 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Professional Issues Description An account of the resource A cohort of NAM members became engaged with the professional registration body, standing as elected councillors on the Architects Registration Council and its various committees. Hitherto entirely dominated by the RIBA bloc, the Council began to yield to a new dynamic through NAM's involvement, enabling fresh perspectives on such issues as mandatory fee scales, greater lay representation on the body, ethically-based standards of professional conduct, etc. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Report on Professional Issues Group Meeting, Feb 1980 Description An account of the resource to *an Cooper. The PIG group convened at an unusual and outst.naing londmork Aron Sebruary 22nd — 24th to discuss current and future issues concerning NAM, SLATE and ARCUK. The venue was the Tower Mill, a disused windmill at Burham Overy Staithe on the Norfolk coast. ie were unfortunately not able to explore the be: utiful surrounding countryside as time was short and the issues were MANY e It was pointed out during the weekend that many people do not understand the term "unattached", especially in relation to ARCUK councillors. It was also noted that these"unatt«ched" councillors were the only elected ones on ARCUK. A decision was therefore taken to refer to them as "elected" councillors as opposed to RIBA or other constituent body "nominee" councillors. whether or not this title will stick remains to be seen, but they will be referred to as such for the purposes of this «rticle. During the weekend we decided to carry out an initial colletion exercise of replies received so far from the elected ARCUK councillors' questionnaire published recently in the AJ, or which there were some 500-600. At the time of writing this article the full analysis is not available. However two points worthy of note were: 1) The vast majority of RIBA members who replied were in favour of direct election of councillors to ARCUK; 2) A considerable number of unattached architects had not received nomination or election papers for the ARCUK elections this year. This information led to a lengthy debate concerning the apportionment of seats on the Council together with general conuuct and the obstruction of business within the council chamber. These discussions finally manifested "The Burham Charter" iteport_on Professional Issues Yroup (PIG) meeting 22nd—24th Mebruary. 11580) Nor forwarding to SLATH/NAM Lieison Group ifter omissions end udditions by PIG members. Vistribution to «11 PIG members, Please forward any amendments ate to head the "Clean up ARCUK" campaign, the draft of which is published here, TO BH INSERTED An upproach to the elected oounoillors ‘by, another non— architect ARCUK councillor, intending to mediate between our— selves and the RIVA, wis discussed. It was generally felt however that while not wishing to detract from Nr. Leggatt's worthy intentions, more positive action and democratic behaviour in the Council chamber could be brought about by promotion and Giscussion of the Burham Cherter. Initizl moves to establish communications with the Hlectoral ‘eform Society concerning ARCUK elections heve as yet not met with great enthusiasm, as they apparently consider their province covers the conduct of the election machinery as it exists and mot constitutional arrangements, even if these were considered "faulty beyond tolerance". Another major debate of the weekend revolved around amendments to the Code of Conduct, particularly in relation to directorships, advertising and limited liability. A strong argument was put in favour of allowing these on the grounds that in practice they all but exist enywey, often to the disadventage of unettached architects. Amendments to the Code allowing them would help to destroy ahy misapprehensions the lay public may be under about the professionwl integrity of many architects, and this action could thus be considered to be in the public interest. This strong and prepmatic argument for operating within the capitalist system was, however, not adhered to unanimously and uniortimetely the fain opponents to the idea on fundamental ideological and ethical grounds were not present to put forward their vicws. A small amount of timejas apent discussing outside funding for PIG, such as chariteble trusts. These arguments were reminiscent of past NAM Liaison Group discussions and no real conclusion was reached. ate Time was set aside for discussion on the future of NAM and SLATE, bearing in mind the decision of the last Congress to holda special conference this spring on the future strategies of NAM. The concensus appeared to be that NAM was essential as a focal point in order to identify the issues for which it stood. iio discussion took place regardingthe future form of NAM except that the orginisation of an Annual Congress end AGM should definitely continue, providing an open forum for debate. It appears that local groupe continue on their own momentum regardless of whether or not they come under the NAM umbrella. In both Cardiff and Leeds regular local meetings and action continue although largely unreported nationally in SLATE. It might help if the communication network could be strengthened. The London group is upparently about tovbe resurrected from the grave due to the efforts of Ken Pierce among others. It is understood that they intend to organise a series of discussions on current issues during the comingyear, and it was suggested at the Burham PIG gatheriny that these could be focussed on subject-orientated forums discussing the effects of the cuts and how to conbat them. The key to all these suggestions appears to revolve eround SLATE, which it is understood is in desperate need of both sHilled labour and material on NAN groups! activities, interests and opinions. While nothing particularly constructive was forth— coming on how to solve ‘the labour problem, it wes suggested that SLATE should at least ( or most) reduce its publications to 4 per annum (assuming finance and lahour are forthcoming). “evarding material, PIG resolved to make u more concerted effort to keep NAN and particularly SLATE regularly informed of ell its activities, provisionally using Ian Cooper as 4 collecting point for forwarding information. Enclosed are ehected councillor nominations for committee representation on ARCUK for 1980-81. The "Gentleman's Agreement" guarantees these nominations being accepted, to: ARCUK Registrar From; ‘'Unattached' Councillors Representation on the poard and Committees of the Council: Gentlemen's Agreement Board of Architectural Education ; David John surney Robert Maltz Admission Committee $ Peter John Cutmore Peter William Howe Finance & General Purposes Committee : Norman Frknk Arnold a ee Edward walker Professional Purposes Committee John Stewart Allan vavid Roebuck 20 February 1980 The following are the ‘Unattached’ Councillors! nominations under the Gentlemen's Agreement for the year 1980/81:- Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unknown Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Murray Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Feb 1980 Subject The topic of the resource Report on Professional Issues Group Meeting, Feb 1980 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/f16c9b8d7bf64902e16b21b4f20a74cc.pdf 0859251e4551007953602e8a31916caa Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Public Design Group Description An account of the resource <p><span style="font-weight:400;">Argued that it was only through the public sector that the majority of people could have access to the land and resources needed for housing, education and other essential services. The task was therefore to reform the practice of architecture in local councils to provide an accessible and accountable design service. The Public Design Group proposed reforms to the practice of architecture in local councils to provide a design service accessible and accountable to local people and service users. The following 6 Interim Proposals were developed which were later initiated and implemented in Haringey Council 1979-1985 by NAM members. </span></p> <ul><li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Local area control over resources </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Design teams to be area based </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Area design teams to be multi-disciplinary </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Project architects to report directly to committee</span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Abolish posts between Team Leader and Chief Architect </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Joint working groups with Direct Labour Organisations</span></li> </ul> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Housing Assoc.s & LA's Subject The topic of the resource Housing Associations - A Democratic Alternative to L.A.'s ?' (5pp) Description An account of the resource BOUS UNG ASSOC IAT POR S AND LOCAE AUR Lr eS DRAFT MAY 1978 3agetantoSaeaOe Ei Series nes ses Perea Te HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS: A DEMOCRATIC ALTERNATIVE TO THE LOCAL AUTHORITY ? Radical and progressive architects have for some time now been argueing for genuine participation of user groups in the design process; that the problems in modern architecture arise from the system of patronage and control in both design and construction, and not from some illusory "crisis of style’. We believe that these problems can best be resolved by the reform and democratisation of local authority departments, since it is only through the local authority and its, albeit limited, democratic functioning that working people have access to land and resources. In recent years there have emerged a.number of alternativest.o local authorities which, it is claimed, are better suited to carry out this transformation than a heavily bureaucratised local authority structure. In housing, the most directly experienced and important area of architectural provision, housing associations form the most significant alternative; so this paper will attempt to show, by looking at their development, structure, financing and projected future role, why housing associations can only play a very peripheral part in bringing about the changes we are advocating. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: The origins of the present day housing association lie in the last century with the charitable trusts, carrying such well known names as Peabody, Rowntree and Guinness, and the 5% philanthropy practiced by some of the more humane, if paternalistic, among the ruling class. The legacy of charity and paternalism established by these forerunners of the modern ‘voluntary’ housing movement still bears heavily on its structure and management. Until the first world war these organisations offered working people virtually their only alternative to the ravages and inhumanity of the private landlord; but from the 1920's they have worked against the changing background of increased local authority provision, a declining private rented sector and, from the '50's, rapidly expanding owner occupation, Most of these trusts continue to function today in one form or another, and since 1945 a number of new charitable trusts have been established. Other types of association in operation prior to 1960 include Government sponsored associations in Scotland and the North-East set up in the late 1930's, and various industrial associations initiated by business concerns primarily to provide accommodation for their own employees. 1961 saw the establishment of cost-—rent housing societies financed by central government, and this scheme was expanded in 1964 when a new body, the Housing Corporation, was - set up to supervise and direct loans. Many of these projects were beset by financial problems, so the Housing Corporation introduced an option mortgage scheme and many cost—rent societies transformed themselves into co—ownership associations. Despite these varied forms of activity, the contribution made by the voluntary housing movement to the country's housing was minimal, such that in 1972 it owned only 1.5% of the housing stock and contributed only 301% of new permanent dwellings. However, changes were about to occur that would make its role far more significant. PRESENT STRUCTURE: The system of finance to housing associations was drastically altered in 1974 with the introduction of the Housing Association Grant. This provided subsidies to housing associations either through the Housing Corporation or the relevent local authority in the form of a capital grant, in principle equal to the net cost of the project, to enable housing associations to run at neither loss nor profit. At present this entails a subsidy of about 75% of a schemes capital cost, available in a lump sum; this compares more than favourably with subsidies to local authorities who receive 60% of loan charges spread over 60 years. This favourable subsidy system has led to a dramatic increase in housing association work such that in 1976 they contributed 27,561 new housing starts ( 10% of the total ) and gained 13,863 improvement approvals ( 11% of the total ). Loans from the Housing Corporation have risen from £38.3 million in 1973/4 to a projected £300 million in 1977, when housing associations were responsible for providing about 100 homes a day. They continue to cater primarily for special minority groups, with significantly more than half their provision in 1976/7 going to the elderly or handicapped. At the end of 1975 there were about 3,500 associations either registered or intending to register with the Housing Corporation; whether this number has grown in order to meet the increased operations is dubious since the tendency is towards more centralisation rather than proliferation. PUTURE ROLE: The future of housing associations under the present government seems quite secure; the Labour Party made this clear in their 1977 Green Paper on housing: "The Government intend to continue their support for registered housing associations. Housing Associationsi,n cooperation with local authorities, can offer an important element of choice in socially owned rented housingeee’. The Conservatives, too, are likely to continue support for housing associations, although under their current far right leadership, associations are likely to become increasingly dependant on private rather than public funding, thus reducing the potential for democratic accountability. Like the Labour Party, the Conservatives also Mal stress the importance of the ‘element of choice!’ in housing provision; what-ws. TL de do they mean by this ? i private rented sector has been declining since the first world oteyutie war; by 1976 it was responsible for only 14.4% of the housing stock, by 1986 it is estimated that it will have declined to 8.3%. While promoting the ideal of home ownership, realists in both parties are aware that it is unlikely to rise significantly beyond its present level of about 50%; housing associations can potentially fill the gap left by the declining private rented sector and thus prevent the unsavoury prospect, for the right, of municipal housing rising to nearly 50% of the total housing stock, The earlier mentioned economic discrimination in favour of housing associations further enhances this ideological role by providing semi-private housing which can be favourably compared with public housing; we can see parallels of this in both medicine and education. DEMOCRATIC POTENTIAL: Given the history, structure and present role of housing associations, what part can they play in the extension of tenant control over the design process that we are advocating ? The management of housing associations remains essentially paternalistic, largely because of their historical development and charitable status. There are a number of commendable exceptions which are to be welcomed both as examples to other housing associations and local authorities of what can be achieved in conditions of democratic participation, and in giving more concrete form to the growing demands of tenants groups, but the majority retain the attitudes of their forerunners. In rehabilitation schemes the problems are often increased by the dispersed nature of the development; : rv, such that in London, only one in ten housing association projects have any kind of tenants association; hardly the basis for thriving tenants participation. In the field of tenant control over design the outlook is even gloomier and not surprisingly so. Many housing associations have been initiated by professionals to channel work and public funds through their own practices, estate agents, solicitors, architects etc., they are unlikely to welcome the longer and more complicated process of user participation in the project. It is true that legislation is being prepared to control this practice, but just how effective it will be remains to be seen. Furthermore since housing associations are only accountable to themselves except in what they are not allowed to do, and often here they are more accountable to central government than they are to local elected bodies, they are sometimes able to thwart and obstruct local authority plans. This is the current structure of the vast majority of housing associations, and obviously we should be doing our best to encourage democratic developments within them, but what is the potential for using existing legislation to establish new and and democratically accountable associations ? There seems to be little hope in this direction since the voluntary housing movement is at present undergoing further centralisation, making the possibility of setting up new associations, sensitive to tenant involvement, still more remote. In the North-East for example, two thirds of new build approvals in 1977/8 went to only four associations, and this is in line with the policy of the Housing Corporation, which is now committed to oppose "proliferation, competition and wasted effort." The virtues of small scale operation, flexibility and compassion by which housing associations are supposedly characterised have apparently been largely lost to the forces of the market and financial self-interest. DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION: The Public Design Service group of N.AM. conceives of area based design and construction teams with architects working closely mot only with the immediate users and broader local community, but also with construction workers. Housing associations, however, offer little or no possibility of this collaboration between architect and builder; by being forced onto the private market of production for profit, they can only maintain existing hierarchical relationships. Within local authorities, however, de~casualised direct labour departments where construction is for use and not for financial gain, form the potential basis for a fully integrated process of design and construction. In this important area housing associations offer no real alternative to a democratised local authority. CONCLUSION: I have attempted ,to show that housing associations do not have the potential, on a large scale, to produce the type of architectural practice which we argue for in the Public Design Service group of NeAM. Furthermore that the money made available to housing associations from the public purse and then channelled through various organisations for private profit does not make for efficient and democratic housing provision. This is not to detract from existing housing associations which are practicing democratic participation, nor to neglect the attempt to change the management structure of the more conventional associations; these can provide valuable examples of the potential of meaningful participation and popular control in housing. Housing associations have been praised for their ability to provide flexibility and choice; we must show that the local authorities, despite the rigidity, uniformity and bureaucracy which characterise their present structures, are subject to change through mass pressure and are potentially capable of providing more meaningful flexibility and choice by giving working people real democratic control over their environment. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unsigned Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Allan Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May 1978 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/a73afa35b5014f23b178ce980e456d1b.pdf 640675f7decf8c56d9a0b9d993b684fb Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Public Design Group Description An account of the resource <p><span style="font-weight:400;">Argued that it was only through the public sector that the majority of people could have access to the land and resources needed for housing, education and other essential services. The task was therefore to reform the practice of architecture in local councils to provide an accessible and accountable design service. The Public Design Group proposed reforms to the practice of architecture in local councils to provide a design service accessible and accountable to local people and service users. The following 6 Interim Proposals were developed which were later initiated and implemented in Haringey Council 1979-1985 by NAM members. </span></p> <ul><li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Local area control over resources </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Design teams to be area based </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Area design teams to be multi-disciplinary </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Project architects to report directly to committee</span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Abolish posts between Team Leader and Chief Architect </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Joint working groups with Direct Labour Organisations</span></li> </ul> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource NAM PDS RESEARCH 1978 Subject The topic of the resource A file of several papers used as research for the PDS Group Description An account of the resource = CU rs G} Joint Centre for Regional Urban and Local Government Studies J G Smith Building UniversityofBirmingham PO Box 363 Birmingham B15 2TT Telephone 021 472 1301 extn 2143 Cables Inlogov Birmingham Telex Spacephys B’ham 339838 CentreforUrbanandRegionalStudies InstituteofLocalGovernmentStudies Director Professor A S Travis 14th April, 1978. s Unfortunately, I can recommend no material in this library of direct relevance to the subject you are studying. Of course we have the normal abstracting and indexing sources such as Departments of Environment and Transport Library Bulletin and Urban Abstracts and so on which you may well have found in other libraries. The only reference which may be of use to you is "Professionalism and the role of architects in local authority housing" by Peter Malpass in RIBA Journal, June 1975. Of course you are welcome to come up to Birmingham and use our facilities at anytime although we do not loan material to anyone outside the Centre. I am sorry I could not help you further. Yours sincerely, Mem A. R. NEWSON Librarian. Mr. John Murray, 5 Milton Avenue, London, N.6. Dear Mr. Murray, Director Professor J D Stewart Thank you for your letter concerning your research into architectural departments in local authorities. a Curs 9) J G Smith Building University of Birmingham PO Box 363 Birmingham B15 21T Telephone 021 472 1301 extn 2143 Cables Inlogov Birmingham Telex Spacephys B’ham 339838 CentreforUrbanandRegionalStudies InstituteofLocalGovernmentStudies Dear Mr. Murray, Yours sincerely, A. R. NEWSON Librarian. Director Professor A S Travis 14th April, 1978. Director Professor J D Stewart Joint Centre for Regional Urban and Local Government Studies Mr. John Murray, : 5 Milton Avenue, London, N.6. v4 Thank you for your letter concerning your research into architectural departments in local authorities. Unfortunately, I can recommend no material in this library of direct relevance to the subject you are studying. Of course we have the normal abstracting and indexing sources such as Departments of Environment and Transport Library Bulletin and Urban Abstracts and so on which you may well have found in other libraries. The only reference which may be of use to you is "Professionalism and the role of architects in local authority housing" by Peter Malpass in RIBA Journal, June 1975. Of course you are welcome to come up to Birmingham and use our facilities at anytime although we do not loan material to anyone outside the Centre. T am sorry I could not help you further. geriatric ward by sin reciting and will also behanding ing A outEaster“®andpresents defeated. A COMMUNIST candidate who strongly youth centre on Broadwater Farm opposes racism is to stand in the Borough Elections in West Green ward. Mr Terry Heath, 44, has represented Estate and for more full-day nurseries in Haringey. He intends to mobilise public campaigns involving community groups the Broadwater Farm Tenants and trade unions to defend and improve Association in regular meetings with the council for the past five years, and has been involved in campaigns against rent increases and for better conditions on the estate. If elected, he says he will fight for a public services and for more jobs He is a full time official of the Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT), the building workers union. Terry Heath Joins ight Royal Institute of British Architects 66 Portland PlaceLondonW1N4AD SM/DR 26th April 1978 Mr. Murray, 5, Milton Avenue, LONDON N6. Dear Mr. Murray, Architects! Field of Employment With reference to our telephone conversation of today, the figures below represent the most readily available. All figures from 1970 to 1977 are based on Earnings Surveys. I found a rather ancient document which was also derived from an Darnings Survey, which includes some of the figures you require for 1950. I have enclosed a complete copy of this, as you may find the comments of interest. Employment Distribution of Architects 16h 1970meno72 elo(Onee1D Principals in Private Practice 26.0 29.6 29.1 27.0 27.6 Employees in Private Practice 24.1 19.2 20.5 20.0 17.6 localAuthorities POOeeolez31613163 Central Govt. & National Boards 10.5 11.9 9.8 131 14.4 Education Other Private Employment Yours sincerely, AG rnthe~ Sheila Miller (Mrs) Statistician 2.7 3.3 35.0 3-3 8.0 8.6 6.0 5.0 (All figures are percentages) 3.0 6.1 > 01-580 5533 Ext. 261 "\ and local organisations. Outside the Town Hall a view often express-— ed is that the Council is run by a hier- archy of paid officials and not by the 64 elected members. The new Council intends to ensure that this is not the case, I am pleased that this Labour administration 1s the support of the Conservative yinority group in condueting a thorough This committee meets in public and anyone interested is welcome to attend (see page 2 for timetable). Representatives of our staff and works sides sit on the committee as advisers, which emphasises that we are definitely not aiming to make cuts,create redundancies or run down any of our essential services to the community. While we are likely to be proposing changes in our management and committee procedures, our objectives are to improve the Council's services to, and relation= ships with, the public and to make I am sure most people agree that there is much room for improvement so far as the Council is concerned, On the next pages are some notes setting out the main sub- jects being looked at by the Special Review Committee, However we are interest- ed in positive suggestions on any aspects of the Council's operations (not individ- ual cases or grievances please),.Further background information is included later in the bulletin, to make the changes which are needed, It is vital for the future of Lambeth that together we really do succeed in this goal. Councillor Bryn Davies LAMBETH eas a issued on behalf of the Spe Review Committee by the Public Relations Office, a LambethTownHal,BrixtonHil,SW21RW. AUGUST 1978 For additional copies or information contact Pat Cox (274 7722 ext 50: internal 233) YOU TELL US review of the organisation and work of the Council. A Special Review Committee of Send your comments by 15 September if possible to the Chairman of the Special councillors of both parties has been set up which will complete its work within a vear. Any urgent or obvious changes can be made as the work proceeds. Review Committee, Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton, SW2 1RW. You will get a chance to comment on our specific proposals early next year, Help your new Council (Introduction by Deputy Leader of the Council and Chairman of the Special Review Committee). This"#reen paper” seeks the views of local people on how their local authority should be organised and run. Comments are also effective the involvement of the elected councillors in the making of policies and decisions. This after all, is what open government is all about. invited fromthe Council's 9,000 employees, their trade unions, members of the Council 15 Sept.1978 4 Oct.1978 18 Oct 1978 19 Oct.1978 15 Nov.i978 29 Nov.1978 13 Dec.1978 Ist week in January 1979 15 Feb.1979 7 Mar.1979 21 Mar.1979 April cycle ending with Council meeting 2.5.79) Committee meeting to con- sider draft initial report for consultation with members, staff and the community. Publish draft initial report inviting comments by 15th February. Closing date for submission of comments on the draft initial report, (i.e. allowing about 6 weeks for consultation). report, 2 Council meeting to consider the final report for implementation from the Council's Meeting in May 1979, Annual with effect ; PROGRAMME FOR SPECIAL REVIEW COMMITTEE Closing date for submission of comments on the Discuss— ion Document. Committee meeting "to rec-— eive replies and, if appropriate, invite oral evidence and also consider published works on manage- ment", Committee meeting to receive replies and consider final Committee meeting to consider preliminary draft Proposals, If any conclus- ions finalised on short term changes or otherwise recommendations can be Submitted to the Council, Meetings can be arranged in this cycle if it has not been possible for the Committee to complete its work by 7th March, THE PRINCIPAL ISSUES Committee meeting to receive oral evidence, "To review the organisation of the work of the Council including the structure of the Council's committees and departments", 1.2 In order to carry out their work the Committee are anxious to obtain information and Opinions on as wide a basis as possible: not Council meeting to receive outline report on evidence received and any firm ideas under consider- ation. Council meeting to rec- eive any recommendations which may have been finalis-— ed by the Committee on 15th November, le Introduction 1.1 The notes which follow concern the review of the Council being undertaken by the Special Review Committee which was established by the Council at their meeting on May 24th, 1978. The Committee was Given the following terms of reference:— 2. The format of these notes 2el The notes which follow outline the five principal issues in which the Committee are particularly interested, and provide background material against which those intending to give evidence to the 3- Evidence 3.2 Ewidence for the review should be sent to the Chairman of the Special Review Committee, Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton Hill, Swe 1RW. The Committee would be grateful if it could be sent in no later than 15thSeptember, 1978. 4, Issue One: Policy formation and implementation 4.1 The Committee wish to have views on how and where the Council should create its policy and the way in which it should establish its priorities between these policies. In particular how can policy options be presented openly to members with information on their different effectse On the basis of the policies which have been decided how can the Council best monitor and review the way in which these policies are being carried out? In what way should the Council control and deploy its principal resources of finance, land and personnel? 4,2 At present the Council has a Community Plan, a Borough Development Plan, in course of preparation under town planning legisla- tion, and an Annual Budget. What role should the preparation and implementation of such plans and similar approaches have in the Council's work? How should the Council carry out its longer term thinking and research? 5. Issue : Committee structure 5.1 The Review Committee have to report on what is the appropriate Committee structure for the Council. At present, the main principle upon which the Committee structure is based is that all activities of the Council should be classified by their objectives and services contributing to the same general objectives should as far as practicable be grouped under a single Committee. 5.2 The Committee would welcome views on what should be the responsibilities, powers, number and size of the Council's Committees. How can these committees be run so as to take effective decisions in the most efficient way that is desirable? What form of co-ordination and control is needed between the Council's various activities as carried out by different committees? At present, cmsiderable reliance is placed on a Policy Committee to achieve this. 5-3 Because of the considerable and detailed nature of much of the Council's work a lot of issues are delegated to Sub-Committees, Committee Chairmen and the Council's principal officers. What role should such delegation of powers play in the Council's operations, is there scope for further delegation and how should the exercise of such delegated powers be monitored and controlled? . : 5-4 To assist in their work the Council co-opts non-councillors to some committees. What value do such co-options have, and to what extent should the Council use this provision? How should the authority's employees be ok2 Committee can give their own views. The notes are not intended to restrict the nature of the evidence; nor is there any necessity to comment on all the matters raised in them. 3.1 The Committee may wish to include in their reports, extracts from the evidence sent to them. In the absence of statements to the opposite effect, the Committee will assume that they are free to use the evidence in their reports if they wish to do so. 8. Issue Five: Devolution of powers 4 involved (under present law voting membership of committees is prohibited)? Committees have also established a considerable number of sub-committees, working parties and policy groups; what should be the role and function of such bodies within an improved Committee atxcucture? 6. Issue Three: The e of the illor 6.1 The Committee are particularly concerned to consider what are the appropriate role, powers and functions of Councillors and would welcome views on the following points. Is there a need for a greater involvement of individual members, in particular backbenchers, in the making of council policy and its administration? If so, how is this best to be achieved? To what extent should Councillors be in touch with all the Council's activities and how can -phis be facilitated? Alternatively, should Councillors be assisted and epnouraged to exercise their specialist interest and if so what ways? 6.2 What information do Councillors require to exercise their functions most effectively and how should this information be supplied? What other services do Councillors need as ward representatives and in ® particular how can they be assisted to deal with their individual case work? Te Issue Four: + structure 7.1 At present the management structure of the Council is based on a corporate approach. The intended aim is to enable each of the Council's policies and the allocation of resources to be considered in relation to each other. The cornerstone of this structure is the Board of Directors. The Committee are interested in views as to whether the stated aim is being achieved in practice and if not how can it be improved? In particular can the problems of comprehension involved in any attempt to oversee the whole of the Council's activi- ties be overcome and if so how? 7.2 The Committee will also wish to consider whether there are alternative structures which would better serve the Council's needs. Would a structure based more on departments be better or is there scope for a mare generalist approach to solving the Council's problems? In particular should a project based approach, as has already been adopted to some extent in Housing Action Areas, be used on a wider basis? ) 8,1 The Council's intention is to make the Town Hall machinery more accessible to and responsive to the needs of local people. The Comaittee are interested in receiving views on how this can be achieved. In particular they will wish to consider whether the Council should delegate some of its powers to lower tier bodies on either a functional or a geographical basis. If some form of area Ranagoment were adopted,what functions and decisions would it be appropriate to delegate and how would any such geographical areas be determined? What effect would such delegation have on the Council's RPanagement structure? 8.2 In more general terms how can more local involvement in the aotivities of the Council be achieved? How should the Council open up its processes and what information should be provided to strengthen this involvement? SOME BACKGROUND NOTES ELECTED COUNCILLORS The Council consists of 64 councillors representing the 22 wards into which the borough is divided. Twenty wards elect three councillors each, two wards two councillors each, The Mayor who may be a man or woman is elected by the Council each year from among their members. He or she is the chief citizen of the borough and plays an active role as civic representative in the public life of the community, is chairman of the Council and also presides at Council meetings. Politics play an integral part in the itish democratic system at local as well ~ at national level. Anyone who complies with statutory requirements may stand for election at the four-yearly borough elect- ions, but it is the practice of the major political parties to put up most of the candidates, After the election, party groupings continue to play an important role in shaping Council policies, operating in a similar way to those of the House of Commons. At present Labour hold a majority of about two to one over the Conservatives. The Leader of the Council, who is also Chairman of the Policy Committee is selected hy the majority party group from among its membership. The minority party group selects one of its members to be Leader of the Opposition, These political groups also appoint their own officers such as Whips, to help them promote their Wei cise interests in accordance with ir election manifestos. In most cases, members combine Council work which involves attendance at evening Council and committee meetings with ther full-time jobs. They are entitled to a small attendance allowance when particip- ating in official meetings, but otherwise they work voluntarily. COUNCIL MEETINGS The Council meets once every six weeks (August excepted) at the Town Hall at 7pm on Wednesdays, The agenda and minutes are printed and canbe seen at any public library and are available on application from the Information Centre at the Town Hall. Council meetings and most committee meet—- ings are open to the public and press. Tickets can be obtained at the main entrance to the Town Hall on the day of the meeting. WORK OF THE COUNCIL You can get an idea of the Council's activities, how much they cost and future proposals from the Lambeth Community Plan published annually, setting out the Council's policies and forward planning The Community Plan is divided into seven volumes covering different Council services, each volume dealing with one or more of the Council's committees, Copies are available for reference at all public libraries and also for purchase at the Town Hall, The Community Plan is revised each year in an extensive planning process, involving all members of the Council, leading up to the making of the rate in the Spring. However, throughout the year there remain many other decisions to be made in order to implement the Community Plan policies, Most of this work is carried out by nine major committees cach responsible for a group of services. Some of these committ— ces appoint sub-committees to deal with certain aspeets of their work, In addit- ion, the Council appoints a policy committee to give guidance to overall strategy and corporate planning. During a six-week period each committee usually meets once and at the end of the six week cycle a full Council meeting is held at which each committee reports its decisions or makes recommendations to the Council. As the volume of business to be dealt with during the Municipal year is so great certain decisions are delegated to committees, sub-committes, chairmen and directors without reporting back to the full Council. Lambeth's committee meetings are open to the press and public, but there are some matters which have to be kept private for the time being and are discussed E after the public part of tle meeting,such as the buying of land or property, possible redevelopment proposals, legal procedures, contracts and items concerning individual people or families. : THE COMMITTEES Policy Formulating the Annual budget strategy. General co-ordination of policy and administration. Amenity Services Libraries, swimming pools and aeratone baths, sports, arts and recreation Planning and Development Local development plans, development facilities; entertainments Spaces, childrens playgrounds; town-twinn- ing, hiring out of public halls. Construction Services ————eeee Building and housing maintenance, rehabil- itation, conversion and construction, Finance and General Purposes Social Services eS SES. Health and Consumer Services Environmental health, food hygiene, control of noise and air pollution control of factories, registration trades, food and drugs licensing functions, consumer protection and advice,schvol milk, registration of charities, births, deaths public baths and Laundries, promotion of publie and home safety, Housing Management and maintenance of Council dwellings. Housing advisory service, provision for homeless under Council's purchase improvement areas and housing action areas, Management Services a e aEeee parks and open of specific street trading, and marriages, families, mortgages scheme. General control, town planning, ions, employment matters, Public Services patSAnLa planning applicat- MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE Continuous assessment and amendment of a Community Plan setting out the broad pattern of proposed changes in and the development of services in relation to the financial and other resources avai lable New roads, traffic management schemes, road cleansing, refuse collection, street lighting, trees, sewerage (as agents for the Thames Water Authority) drainage, flood prevention, public conveniences, cemeteries and crematoria, maintenance of Council transport, and regularly monitoring its implementation, Control of all Council financial trans- actions, rates, raising of loans, insurance, Superannuation and investments, central public and community relations, neighbour- hood councils, Mayoralty, clectoral registration, elections, The management structure of the Council is organised into ten directorates, Each is headed by a director responsible to the Chief Executive for the management and effective operation of the directorate, Between them Lambeth directorates have a combined work force of officers and Children's services, welfare of old people and physically and mentally handicapped, travel concessions, The ten directorates are listed on the chart following. This also shows the main services provided and the relationship of) directorates with committees, Staff matters, recruitment, training, promotion and working conditions, manual staff of about 9,000, The Chief Executive is the Council's principal adviser and head of the Council's administration, He is chairman of the Board of Directors which aets as the foeal point of the co-ordination of advice and information to the Council's committees, SNOILONN4 ONY 3HNLONYLS LNIWADVNYW ~H 147 40 HONOWOE NOGNOT anya induiod | sean | | | DIIA195 JH WOG LANIT) HOMIEN | UBIS “sUONeDUNUIWOD serjuieig “SPIE, ssapRUIOH Asiong (yowuos pus uByt8g Ave Guiuiers | 3UIWIO|AAIG 199185 | Divas woydajay MAUOF OPINIIH| WEDD) — aeersnusy suOneruNWWO? JOHPPOWWOIIy bulUUrig sa6sey2 PUP; 1207) |Guiness VONtpOWWOIIy jPUYQeIsSeHUMOL ‘uondopy pue Buus, “98S SPupUNe?) 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REOODOODOOHAOO¢ WLA2 7®@ ine EP Mat Reward - 6066000000000 0008008 = HARINGEY O°"T2AL AREA +LEADER'S CONFERENCE (COMMITTEE STRUCTURE) Notes of conclusion of meeting held on 15 February 1978 OF 27 FEBI978 err RECEIVED COMMITTED STRUCTURE TERMS OF REFERENCE AND DELEGATION POWERS AND OUTSIDE REPRESHULALTICN D,_- SUBORDINATE BODIES 17 COMMITTEES Considered the discussion document prepared by the Chief Executive ana Borough Secretary and Solicitor and arising therefrom dealt with the following matters so as to enable more detailed consideration to be given at a subsequent meeting. A. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this review of the Committee Structure, with consequential adjustments to the Terma of Reference and Delegation.of Powers, ig to suostantinlly reduce the number of evening commitments for Members by reducing the number of bodies constructing the Committee structure, limiting membersaip thereof, and ensuring that the decision making machinery is effective and efficient. The review is necessary not only because total membership of the Council is reduced from 70 to 59 from May, but because Members commitments, particularly meetings, have reached unacceptable levels. B. POLICY MAKING Agreed that the present arrangements, whereby matters requiring policy guidance etc are referred to the Policy Advisory Group (or specially to a Leader's Conference) whose advice, if approved by Majority Group, is relayed to the Service Committees for implementation,is an effective system and should continue. Agreed further that the creation of a Policy Committee is not necessary. % Officers were asked to >eport upon ways of achieving this broader delegation, together with such checks and limitations that may be necessary; levels of decision making,and the eiministrative arrangements to give effect thereto. G. BASE FOR COMMITTEE STRUCTURE Considered whether the structure should be Service based, or Area based with ‘mini Councils! controlling the requiren ats of areas. Acreed that a Service based structure broadly similar to present arrangements should continue. : Considered that Service Committees should be made more autonomous by considerably relaxing central controls exercised in relation to Terms of Reference and Delegation of Powers, estimates and budgetary control, staffing matters, land transactions ete. The function of central resource committees should be to provide broad guidelines for Service Conmittees who should operate within such guidelines with only exceptions being subject to Central Committee consideration -and approval. }. Service Committees shou.d themselves control the delegation of powers to their Bubordinate groups; control changes in their expenditure within their approved total expenditure; approve staff changes within approved guidelines and approve land transactions and, possibly some planning matters within approved policies. In principle, these should ;onsist broadly oft- . ,G. DIVISION OF COMMITTEE FUNCTIONS t —_——<— 1. Sub-Committees mecting regularly within the time-table, having delegated powers for a continuing purpose, a formal agenda, serviceé by the Secretariat, and open to the press and public. 9. Civis Amenities Committee to carry out the ‘unctions of the present Committes with the addition of Community Development and Town Twinning. 2. Panels created by the Committce and consisting of three members having formal business to conduct preferably by correspondence and meeting only as and when required. Serviced! by the Secretariat. 3, Working Parties who are appointee for a specific pirpose only, have a Limited life and meet informally. Services by appropriate service officers to consult and advise. The Tercs of Reference and Delegation of Powers for these subordinate bodies would rest wich the parent committees. E, SERVICING OF MEETINGS ‘The servicing of formal meetiigs by the Committee Division of the Borough Secretariat will be controlled by) the allocation of staffing resources within which the Committee must contain its activities. Any escalation of meetings requiring additional resources wil require Council approval. ' Recommend that an allocation of committees broadly as frllows be examined in detail: 1. Manacement_and Finance to carry out the presert functions of the .General Purposes, Finance and Personnel and Manement Committees, --=-Texsept for Comnunity Development, Area Managemet and Town Twinning. ‘2, (Public) Worke Committee to carry out the functions of the Highways and Works Panel, al direct labour works and the ac:ivities of the Borough .-Architect. 3. Planning and levelopment Committee to carry out the functions «cf the present Commitiee, less those allocated to the “ublic Works Committee, but with the acdition of Area Management. . 7 4, Rousing Committee broadly in line with present Terms of Reference. ‘5. Sorzial Services Committee broadly in line with present Terms of Reference. ) “6. Education Comm.ttee broadly in line with present Terms of Reference. F.CCMMITTERSTRUCTURE PeTee ig fi b GeneraZly it is considered that each Committee should be directly responsible for sor) main function.s) and that the number of sub-ordinate bodies should be restricted to essential subordinate areas but they be given a wide measure of delegation to enable their functions to be properly performed. The current nusher of appointed bodies excluding staff and employee consultation is 47. A division of functions is proposed which vould have this. . ; ae Tenancy Selection Panel. 5. Social Services Committee with only an Apneals Panel. forking Parties to 2e appointed for ‘one-off' functions as needed. It is also suggeszed that certain membe:s be designated to tase a special interest in specific functions. 6. Education Joumittee to be assisted by Schools Sub-Committee whose functions will be enlarged to include those of the present Boarding and Independent Schools Panel, and Further Education Sub-Committee to whose finctions will be added ‘hose of the Youth and Community Services Sub-Committee. All remaining functione, including Development will be direct responsibility of the Committee. 7- Civic Amenities Committee will be directly responsible for Recreational Services baths, parks, allotments, recreation, entertainment and Catering’ and to be assisted by a Public H2alth Panel ox Sub-Committee to embody the functions of health, safety and protection, cemeteries and crematorium, and Cleansing and Transz0rt; a Libraries, Museum _and trts Panel to which would be added Town twinning; and a Community Development Panel. H. TERMS OF REFERENCE Oi".cers yere asked to report upon Terms of Reference and Delegation of Funstions to give effect to the revised Committee Structure and division of funstions, including those contained in Paragraph © (Base for Committee Structure) and land and planning control. The report to cover the legal requirements and other implications of the proposed allocation. Ofricers shoul¢d consult Chairmen of Committees as they consider desirable. “The suggested division and subordinate bodies are:— 1. Manazement and Finance Committee to be directly resnonsible for the residual functions of the present General Purposes and Finance Committee, and to be assisted in Personnel and Management functions by a Personnel Sub-Committee whose responsibilities will include Work Study and O & M matters, job evaluation, appeals and personnel matters concerned with staff and employees, other than teachers. Staff and employee representatives currently_ attending Personnel and Management Committee to be invited to attend the Sub-Committee. A Finance Panel of 3 Members will function as the present Panel meeting only 2 or 3 times per year. A Disciplinary Panel to be appointed by the Chairman to meet only as required. To continue to monitor the Working Party for Unemployed Younes People pending its review. oe 3. Planning and Development Jommittee to be directly rssponsible for Central Area. IGS have Development Control Sub-Commistee, Employment (or Development) Sub-Committee, Land Act Acquisition 2anel, and for the Area Manaement Advisory Sonmittee to continue but as another Sub- Committee. 4, Housing Committee to be itself responsible for housing management and to be assisted by aNew WorksSub-Committees and aRehavlitatiSoubns Lomittee (both subject to evaluation of workload) and io appoint a I, STAFefe LOY OoUSUMINEEVEIAGIERETS K. REPRESENTATION CN OUTSIDE BODIES ' . '. <peesmoega4 Tt was not considered advisavle to jnelude teachers in the Staff and Employees Joint Consultative Committers, bul officers werensked to report vpon ways of reducing Members commitments jn respect of joint consultations whilst maintaining the opportunities for close contact petween Members and employees. : Cenoi.cered 3 mugged vic rant the number of committee cycles should be reduced, put were of the opinion that this could lead to a substantial number of unscheculed meetings, due to the Jenthened time span between Council and committee maetingse Asked that consideration be given to the possibility of introducing 4 seven cycle time-table designed to minimise the calling of unscheduled meetings. : Deferred sonsideration of this matter, put are of the opinion that commitments must be veduced. wt see Peds ea cores J. NUMBER OF couua Tem CYCLES. AgreedtomeetonFricay10March1978at7Pets see eenste iee b= e NEXTMEETING aBagain, Vera er ¢ ete gs i * fC poeta Tues THD servi rats ‘ wee pelsies te pean 3% + - : . - 7 of Rita COLLINWARE popebeigeenaltacpmtetRearih : -‘vais AC*sHyOLSeos5 Chairman ~ caidascote ares p mh . nae we ' ¢ » a . shic att “ mA‘ tu a ' - 4 \ i at - - oo ~ r+ ate 3 nee { - it la“2. ~«ayo<£ti fe sae Bee : ‘i Z ‘ eae .- Ia ?:2- 5 ‘{3 Bpaow : x (iP a + real P : 4 in + wn -Vidaoteomeso Sow )t jHi ‘ cececetaeaa and Be Aee Ital From the outset, the Council will wish to state its objectives < for this review and establish targets as necessary. Members will no doubt take account of the mounting pressures on their time and their current commitnents occasioned by the present Committee structure, Details of 47 committees, sub- committees and panels and 6 consultative committees are appended for information. This list does not take into account the Policy Advisory Group, Leader's Conferences and other bodies appointed for specific purposes. An indication of these commitments can be obtained from the fact that in 1976/77 there were more than 400 evening, meetings serviced by the Secretariat and that an analysis of the meetings held in Cycle 2 and 3 of this year compared with 1976/77 shows an increase of approximately 16%. If continued throughout the year a total of some 470 evening meetings would be realised. The timetable of scheduled meetings published for 1977/78 totals less than 200 meetings, the balance being made up of special meetings and wmscheduled meetings of Panels and ad hoc bodies. f REVISIONS TO COMMITISE STMUCTUNG i. os 3. Sou 3.2 SUBJECT: To consider poasible revisions to the Committee Structure and consequentiol adjustmepts to the Terms of Reference and Deleyation of Poversy (a8 well as representation on outside bodies.) PURPOSE: The purpose of ;thies report is not to make recommendations but to provide a discussion document to enable members to formulate their views. OBJECTIVES: 4.2 4,3 (a) reducing the number of committees, ‘ (b) reducing the number of Members on each Committee; and (c) a combination of (a) and (b). TEADSRSS CONFERENCE (COMMLTTES STRUCTURE) JOINT REPORT OF THE CHIEF NXECUTIVE AND BOROUGH SECRETARY AND SOLICITOR It is assumed that one purpose of the exercise is to reduce members commitments in regard to meetings, particularly evening meetings, after the elections in May 1978, when the number of Members making up the Comcil will be reduced from 70 to 59. ie further objective may be to reduce their ¢ommitments in ‘meetings of outside bodies, REPORT: A reduction in Members committee workloads may be obtained by:- fh reduction in the number of committee meetings may be obtained by:- (a) reducing the number of committee cycles; and (b) a streamlining of the Structure and the decision making machinery. e @& REVISIONS 10 COMMTIZE STUCTUNG IEADSRSS CONFENSNCE (COMMITTEE STRUCTURE) 3.2 It is assumed that one purpose of the exercise is to reduce members commitments in regard to meetings, particularly evening meetings, after the elections in May 1978, when the number of Members making up the Comceil will be reduced from 70 to 59. \A further objective may be to reduce their Gommitments in meetings of outside bodies. , REPORT: 4 A reduction in Members committee workloads may be obtained by:- (a) reducing the number of committees, ‘ (b) reducing the number of Members on each Committee; and (c) a combination of (a) and (b). JOINT REPORT OF THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND BOROUGH SECRETARY AND SOLICITOR I. SUBJECT: To consider poasible revinions to the Committee Structure and consequentinl adjustmepts to the Terms of Reference and Deleation of Powers, (a8 well as representation on outside bodies.\, 2. PURPOSE: The purpose of;this report is not to make recommendations but to provide a discussion document to enable members to formulate their views. Sok From the outset, the Council will wish to state its objectives ° for this reviow and establish targets as necessary. 4.2 Ah reduction in the number of committee meetings may be obtained by:- (a) reducing the number of committee cycles; and (b) a streamlining of the Structure and the decision making machinery. 43 Members will no doubt take account of the mounting pressures on their time and their current commitments occasioned by the present Committee structure, Details of 47 committees, sub- committees and panels and 6 consultative committees are appended for information. This list does not take into account the Policy Advisory Group, Leader's Conferences and other bodies appointed for specific purposes. An indication of these commitments can be obtnined from the fact that in 1976/77 there were more than 400 evening meetings serviced by the Secretariat and that an analysis of the meetings held in Cycle 2 and 3 of thie year compared with 1976/77 shows an increase of approximately 16%. If continued throughout the year a total of some 470 evening meetings would be realised. The timetable of scheduled meetings published for 1977/78 totals less than 200 meetings, the balance being made up of special meetings and unscheduled meetings of Panels and ad hoc bodies. 3. OBJECTIVES: e @& hk 45 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4,10 4.10.1 Haringey is 4 small borough in area. - Members generally have : a very detailed lmowledge of the place and are readily accessible to the public and to representative groups and organisations. There is, therefore, an almost inevitable involvement of Members jn day to day detail. Changes in the Committee Structure in Haringey are more likely to vorl: successfully in practice if they accord with the local traditions and outlook of Membarna. The present "Panel-based Structure!! vas undoubtedly adventurous and innovative in concep. but its operation in practice over the years has apparently strayed considerabl; from the original intention. The "Panel-based Structure"! worke best vhen there are few main committees (perhaps no more than h or 5) with a substantial number of Panels working informally with the mascimum delegation and the minimum generation of paper. In Haringey it is difficult in many instances to distinguish between "committees! and “panels! in their method of operation. \hat Haringey now seems to have is a large number of "committees (although they have the variety of different names including "panel", "sub-committee and "working party'') whose activities have to be co-ordinated by a rather complicated pattern of inter-committee communication and control. In addition, the formal structure generates an ever increasing number of other groups and meetings which are given povers to make decisions on behalf of the Council. The reduction to, say; k committees with panels/sub-committees reporting action taken under delegated powers may result in such committees becoming largely formal instruments for the transmission of information to the Council. ‘The nearest example in our present structure being the Education Committee. The contrary to such an arrangement would be to maximise the number of committees, each performing within more limited but realistic terms of reference, rut with extensive delegation, while at the same time panels/sub-commi ttees are severely restricted. Coupled with a reduction in the number of "bodies! (committees panels, etc) would be greater delegation to officers in order to reduce the number of decisions required of Chairmen or OtGumas Members. Some of the ideas have been mentioned with the purpose of making fever demanés upon the smaller number of Council Members, where the balance of the Council might algo change to make either majority party even smaller proportionally than the present position. There should be a considerable relaxation in the control exercisalover Committees by General Purposes (Tarms of Reference, delegat‘.on), Finance (Estimates and control of budgets), Personnel and Management (staffing matters) and Planning and Development (iand transactions and planning control). The function of central committees should be to provide broad guidelines for other committees. 4.10.2 4.11 4.11.1 4.11.2 4.11.3 44 The main Service committees should themselves control the delegation of powers to their Bub-Committees and other subordinate groups; they should also control changes in their expenditure within their approved total expenditure; in addition, they should be able to approve atafi changes within approved guidelines and should themselves approve land transactions and, possibly. some planning matters within approved policies. There should be provision in the structure for subordinate bodies both formal (having delegated powers, a formal Agenda and meeting and serviced by the Secretariat either for a continuing purpose, e.g. development control, or for a one-off but formal task, €.&- new Leisure Centre; new structure for building works/housing repairs;) and {nformal (having no delegated powers, meeting informally and serviced by the appropriate service officers to consult and advise.) The control of their Terms of Reference vould rest with their parent committee or, their parent committees. Even if these general principles were accepted there must ani jnevitably be a variety of preferences about the number of committees and distribution of functions. For the purpose of thi report the following is however, a list of some of the proposale which had been suggested from time to’.time:- Combine General Purposes and Finance (currently 7 bodies) to form a General Purposes and Finance Committee (reducing to 2/% bodies). Combine General Purposes, Finance and Personnel and Management (currently 10 bodies) to form a Resources Committee (reducing to 3/6 bodies). Under either of these arrangements it is visualised that subordinate bodies alcdin to the Management Services Panel and the Finance Panel would ‘be required with more active roles and that Community Development and Area Menagement would pass to the i Planning and Development Commi ctee. Concidexation would also need to be given to the position with regard to the Joint Consultative Committee representatives who currently attend Personnel and Management Committee. Planning and Development Committee (currently 5 bodies) to divide into an (Architecture and)(Public) \lorks Committee (Including Highways and Works etc. and perhaps Cleansing and Transport): and a committee carrying the Planning and Valuation functions along with Community Development, rea Management,- Central Area and Employment (reducing to 3/4 bodies). Housing Committee to continue but to distinguish tio major functions by "Sub-Committees"; namely the management function and the develonment (new works and rehabilitation) function (reducing to 3/' bodies to include separate JCC). 4.11.5 Alternatively the Housing Committee be divided into tuo Committees namely the management function and the development function. 4.11.11 Employee Consultative Bodies Attached is 4 note setting out the eurrent position. In practice : the present machinery does not often leai to prompt ansvers from either the Council or the Employee's Sides and it produces a lot of cross-referencing from Personnel and Management Committee to Enrp loying Conmittees/Penels and baclt. 4.11.6 Social Services (currently 3 + @ occasional bodies) to be 4 Comnittes \ithout formal Panels put allowing for working partics to be appointed \ith delegation {o carry out one-off functionse 4.11.7 Education (currently 9 bodies, 2/3 only occasionally). It may be considered that there ia no continuing need for a separate Development Sub-Committee. Youth and Community Services and Careers Advisory (possibly with Unemployed Young People Working Party) should be examined (reducing overall to 6). 4.11.8 Civic Amenities (currently 6 bodies). Consider possible joining of Rec: eational Services, \Libraries and Allotments to form & ‘Teisure end Recreation Committee. Contrary views have been expressed about Cleansing and Transport remaining separate or joining the "Works" Committee. However, Health fafety and Protection and Cemeteries ard Crematorium could combine’ with Cleansing and Transport to form an Environmentel (or Public) Health Committee (vaducing to 2 oF 3 bodies). 4.11.10 Or even maintain a Civic Anonition Commi ttoe with one sub-committee carrying either the Recreation ete. activities or the Public Health functions. Revisions to the current machinery should aim at resolving problems within Services wherever appropriate and ensuring that the Member time spent in meeting with Trade Union representatives is spent as effectively as possible. The following broad out): 1e is one suggested way of improving the position:- JCC should meet re_..-arly with Councillors 4s the Management. This couid be extended to include Teacherse Personnel or other officers denending on the subject matter should meet all the ate. rds in sufficient time before the meetin, to explain Management proposals so. that the Trades Union represent..tives can speak for their member: at the meeting and equally the Trade Union Side could explain their items that the Councillors also can be better briefed and abi: to enter into more meaningful digounsiod. 4.11.9 If Gleansing and Transport is accepted as part of a "\lorks Committee" the rem: ying functions of Civic Amenities could be contained within 4cimilarly named Committee with perhaps one Sub-Committee for leisure and Recreation and a Panel to deal with the Health, Satety and Protection and Cemeteries and Crematorium functions. : ; 8. 8.1 9. 9.1 9-5 9.4 9.5 A MEMBER'S SUPPORTING SERVICES Members are finding that the increasing demands on their tine are euch that to carry out their functions satisfactorily; they need to be supported in a number of ways. The General Purposes Committee has vequested the Borough Secretary on| Solicitor to report upon Wiuys of achieving some additional me wwes of support and it ig anticipated that this will be u:dertaken during Cycle 6 so that approvst measures may be introduced in the new Municipal Year. There are more than 60 such bodies requiring Council representation, and 37 governing bodies in Education having 186 Council seats. ‘ The Area Hee.lth Authority currently uses 10 Members but they occupy 26 Member places. a Special mention should also be made of the Joint Committees, TOL) Middlesex Polytechnic Pip.0) N.E.L.E.G. Some rationalisation of Member commitment to outside bodies ust be seriously considered and Conference is asked to advise thereon. R.C. LIMB G.A. BIOOR Chie? Executive Borough Secretary and Solici OUTSIDE AND OTHER BODIES Representation 1 outside and other bodies carries with i. 4 further considerable commiivent sor Members, although it «ould be remembered that persons other than Members may be appointed to some bodies. 9.2 t Council Side Members Staff Side Reps. Frequency of Meetings 9©, ®+ 6 + 2@ Deputies 6 + 4 Deputies Oluce every cycle(6) 500 (fluctuates) h 18-20 esee IPADER'S CONFERENCE (COMMITTEE STRUCTURE) 15 Femnvany¥ 1672 JOINT CONSULTATIVEMACHINERY EXCLUDING TEACHERS 1.Council_and Staff Joint Numbers within purview 3,60 4,600 2. ___Tocal Joint Worka (Craftsnen) se Lecal Joint Works (Nen-Craftsmen) Numbers within purview Council Side Members Employees' Reps. 4,600 I; 12 Numbers within purview Council Side Members Employees’ Reps. Frequency of Meetings Ouce every 3 cycles (2) Council end Employee Joint Conaultntive Caml ttee @ Numbers within purview Council Side Employees Frequency of meetings 6,700 1? + @ Deputies Frequency of meetings Cnce every 3 cycles (2) We FocalJointWorks(Man-Euducnatiin) Nunbers within purview Council Side Menbers Employees! Side Frequency of meetings 2,059 6 N.B. The teachers’ involvement in this body is currently being explored If necessary, additional meetings are arranged, or tieetings cre concelled through lack of business. Above figures are pveraje re meetings « 6 Once every 3 cycles (2) 12 + 4 Deputies Once every 2 cycles (3) ® © © COMUTTEE PANEISOR HEMEL g HOUSING 5 Chairmen 2 Opposition Members ( ( ( ( ( ( ( SUB-0OMMIETTEES lonenaces ad Speyabe COMMETTHES, PANEIS AND SUB-COMITIEES (47) Finance Panel. Working Party on Unemployed Young People indicates meetings open to the public Research Panel Management Service Panel Haringey Council. & 10 Mombora of the Ceunott 2 Majority Party Mombera 1 Opposition Moubor g FINAE 4 Majority Party Mombers 2 Opposition Members & Tenants Representatives g GENERAL PURPOSES Homeless Families Re Selection Panel 10 Monmbern of the Comehl 2 Majority Varty Howl-ora 1 Opponition Merther 2 Majority Party Hemera 1 Opponition Horler Majority Party Members Opposition Members Majority Party Members Opposition Members ~~ “o_o Q PERSCNNEL & MANAGEMEND Community Development Panel 5 Mnjority Party fordore 2 Opposition Honlera Town Twinning Panel Disciplinary Panel 1 Members of the Councs.1 Majority Party Members Opposition Members Housing Development Panel Housing Rehabilitation Panel Housing Management & Pinance Panel. Tenants! Joint Consul- tative Committee 8 Ward Mombers 1 Majority Porty Membor 1 Oppositien Monber 2 Majority Party Members 1 Opposition Mombor 10 Members of the Council frea Management Advisory Committee 2 Mojority Party Menbers 1 Opposition Mombey 5 Majority Party Members 2 Opposition Members nna om — mow Mm nw Haringey Central Area Panel ( ¢ ( 7 Majority Party Members ( 3 Opposition Members ( ( ( ( COMMTTEE PANEIS OR SUB-COMUTTERS MENERSTIE g PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT 15 Members of kthe Council Development Control Panel 4 te ere 2 Opposition Members 2 Majority Party Members 1 Opposition Member € Employment Panel 5 Majority Party Members 2 Opposition Members ; g Highways & Works Panel 5 Majority Party Members i g civic AMENITIES 14 Members of the Council“) g SOCIAL SERVICES 14 Members of the Council g Recreational Services Panel ( 5 Majority Party Menbers (| 2 Opposition Members g Allotments, Cemeterics ( 3 Majority Party Members & Crematorium Panel ( 1. Opposition Member Iibreries, Museum and Arts Panel ( 2 Majority Party Members (| 1 Opposition Member g Health, Safety and Protection Panel ( 2 Majority Party Members ( 1 Opposition Member Leisure Centre Panel 3% Chairmen { Opposition Member 0 ee Canteen Committee ( 4 Majority Party Members ( 1 Opposition Member G5 T.U.Representatives g Residential & Day Care Darel! 7 Members g Community Care Panel 7?Members Appeals( Pre-School Ohildren) Panel ( Chairman, Vice-Chairman an ( 1 Opposition Member of the ( 2Co-opted Members Cleansing and Transport ( 5 Majority Party Members Panel ( 2 Opposition Members Commnity Land Act Acquisitions Panel ( Residential & Day Care Par COMMUDTIRE SOCTAL SERVICES EDUCATION PANELS OR Sus-COMTAES MENPERSUE_ ( 3 Members ( 2 Officers ( Chairmen of Education, Social Services & Housing Committees & Youth Com- munity Sub-Committee ( 2 Opposition Members 18 Members of the Council and § Co-opted Members ( 9 Members of the Council ( 2 Co-opted Members (Chairman, Vice-Chairman & ( one other Member of the ( Schools Sub-Committee ( 9 Menbers of the Council and ( 2 Co-opted Members 7 Members of the Council and ( 2 Co-opted Members ( 4 Members of the Council & ( 1 Co-opted Member 1 February 1978 Adoption Case Committoe Honelless & Detached Youths' Working Party Schools Sub-Committee Appointinents Panel Further Education Sub-C ommittee Development Sub-Committee( Youth & Commnity Services Sub-Committee Boarding and Independant ( Chairman and 2 other Members Schools Panel ( of the Schools Sub-Committee Careers Service Advisory ( 2 Majority Party Members Committee ( 1 Opposition Member Working Party Conditions ( 4+ Members of Service of Teachers in( 4 Teachers FE Nstablishments @ Council & Staff Joint Comittee Builders Joint Consultative (Craftsmen) Committee Local Joint Works (NonCraftsmen) Committee Local Joint Works (Manual Employees - Education) Committee Council & Employees’ Consultative Committee (Education). Premature Retirement Voupensation Panel ( 2 Majority Party Members (1 Opposition Member 343 Joint Consultative Committee CEo2{ Af,, > TAT C LOY Byukleckg Craprinels” SLURS: Val.View," lnba VityVAs jlA Go TRS bt No C Lay fa reloA— Clif hin Be Cluirtéy . g frel+Gray J o eel f -(S6 Yur O72 \e Attia SlCe LIAV l (onWir. Ayate [To a4 Mon we Bay liaMrzm,ig V Dent eet :tl IWy,(/ Rutigo—a ULee PS Aah (EQns:2 ((KiLf Tsga 4Woon) zee eo STS ae (2)2?) Ld CotLe 5 LTA S tha Aha : ‘ KX Fpe Nan ((AS 6 aALp Gn e4 LWare Ee CcUfAes 6 4feiee 1 AOI NG7 Saye aja/ usual l, Caeepfaceclanlid b,yf. SCcot ppeyoq ;Cae|Corols anh/MYheabdullerby atc AAS VAUDCrobonWsafi Realeeasandl.S§trvwer (ER Cabex Qvt)-of,K795% (Ca +16° B wm a te{. TCALG pentGrn. o : PISG Hladaod “| (A4se Siey : . Te Sale of local Auffoihy Building. Folgeit experditun rag achniy, 4 No aeietne,|raneHa.Seona~allft ry [cpast ves Seka Tasty: Ce x, = nie“th Me. ISO a eee ee I9S~ _hou-rSrLoaol, Arum a4Bp parjr ce bout }eanepeta Ke hong-me hynaa{Ldve, Gain— dnoAendwilpl CEC es lao~g + Mk, fbuatg a ovale gy doo. NomCR+ApWeds—cridtAmol vollhax Sano.|LMSWateeco ae y Ie but Ee eer Manto thc [i~9 eyp5 MoiG, amy lhrerss,prurted cals; ce tn es 4euba §athe Cutie -SLah. bg pe LTS04ta— eet Ves]eee NeOfer_aFieSts lscolouytbwitltgr,yfpered Police buch Motel Chinn wWeelt cetran ant tNao drat keg meallyoe ee 1s courhy corel <Bs ely Arhanes haloy, Teucteg had uot. 4] tad < (9506. wit healt ote, ¢age 4 n Pi ne > 3 contribute in a much broader way than they have ever done in the past.” with my fellow chief officers, overriding particular departmental interests. Today the architect, engineer, town clerk and treasurer must act as a team, not as contestants.” His consciousness of the new roles ahead for the architect is accom- panied by a progressive attitude to new methods. Unselfish teamwork is the keynote, whether in his establish- ment of the co-operative office rather than the hierarchical office (“nobody should play at being God’) or in his enthusiasm for consortia working—he is closely involved as honorary archi- tect to the West Group of the London should be looked at on its own merits, and a decision taken as to whether the design function should be under- taken at county or district level.” He sees no reason, for instance, why a county council should not act as the design agent for a district council, bringing all the design skills together. Like all good local authority men, he is adamant that the public sector offers unrivalled opportunities for serving society, and rejects the ‘rat race” tag applied recently by Malcolm MacEwen. “It is probably true that with some authorities there has been a struggle for power, but it is not necessarily generally true. [tis not true of my own authority and | think if architects are prepared to take the responsibility there are far greater opportunities now, and certainly will be in the new Thurston Williams, Hillingdon Borough Architect, on the oppor- tunities and challenges of, the public sector practice. is likely to occur in the reduction in the total number of authorities in the country. Nor do |see there being any major problem at chief officer level, because most of the major boroughs with architectural chief officers are likely to continue as at least the nucleus of the new district councils.” What he is anxious about is that the division of responsibility between the counties and districts will take into account the need for a consistent and varied workload. “| think it is impor- tant that each of the new authorities has a sufficiently wide workload to attract good professional staff. | don’t think architects are going to come into local government in the future unless there is this varied work- load, and unless they feel that they can make a positive contribution to the general improvement of the environ- ment. It is my experience that very few architects want to become in- volved in a practice that has a very narrow range of design opportunities, and if you look at the functions suggested for district councils, out- side of housing there is very little. It is most important that there is not a universal application of function, ‘’There are far greater oppor- tunities now, and certainly will be in the new authorities proposed, for architects to but that each new local authority Housing Consortium, is chairman of authorities proposed, for architects to the consortium’s chief officers’ com- contribute in a much broader way mittee and is a member of the steering than they have ever done in the past.” He has also been extensively involved his authority is involved in a wide in joint project working with private range of consortium work for both architects, and regrets that the enforced reduction in the council's Uppermost in his mind at the moment, housing programme from 1000 to 450 however, are the implications of the dwellings a year has drastically cur- local government reorganisation pro- tailed the scope for more joint working. committee of MACE. Mirroring this, housing and education. posals for publia authority srehiteats, Nevertheless he is suspicious about Tae 2 } _danuer srusent Government intentions ta NTERVIEW . sector architecture probably «much to Thurston Williams - present considerable place in 'oN scheme of things as to any s een As an architect in his at Tshe was at the forefront of the we revolution which influenced the pre become the more repre- ralbodyitistoday. Uptothe er {ties it was undisguisedly an »,pon for private practices, until em “yng, intense architect, then with moc, had the unprecedented ny to lay down a motion from ane atanAGM callingforatrade ee salariedarchitectsinthe gen tor. The formation of the ation of Official Architects was eocehsnly result; a popular front ae assparkedoffwhichledtoa e tchange in council representa- en inthewholecomplexionof maplisnment. Such is the nature nemocracy what yesterday's angry : outsider is now firmly estab- re nthe hierarchy of influence and oe! _as borough architect of the pe porough of Hillingdon, with an fessional department of 140 i Fim, as Honorary Secretary of wr oA and as President of the AOA, tyociation he was instrumental in we Now, at 46, the intensity wm Dy transmuted into an urbane, ” * scholarly, charm but the same we Getermination persists in the pir of what is fair and rational. |wtoftoday's angry young men are » -oning the need for a pro- a ‘institution, but Thurston jwe’ stresses the importance of its sth edexistence. “There isaneed v “essionalism in the widest sense wre held, and the RIBA can assist ide in a positive way. Look at # nad against the Monopolies sane, The present attack on fession IS aimed as much at the . gs at the private sector. I ile ays believed that the public wea architects should participate soemanedly in the RIBA and gain wot antage of the experience of the * jon as a whole. There is an per ndence in such things as wand salaries.” w “veinterdependenceandcom- oe” tariness crop up often in his pression, indicating an attitude to are of the architect that is borne »TM ¢own approach. Heisvery #* cartofthepost-Maud new of manager architects, par- in the design places as part = — =at ty Architect bert H. Clarke, FRIBA, AMTPI in 1937 the amount of architectural work in various departments of the Bristol Corporation brought about the need to co-ordinate that work and the problem was reported upon to the City Council. In January 1938 the appropriate Committee reported the Council on the architectural work already being carried out in the various departments and the manner of its execution, and the City Council accepted recommendations that a separate architectural department should be formed under the direction of a City Architect on a whole-time duty basis. A City Architect was also required to advise the many committees of the City Council on al architectural and building matters. The position relating to quantity surveying work was also reviewed, but it was sot until 1955 that quantity surveyors were appointed. The City Architect is responsible for the organisation and administration of the department which carries out the architectural requirements of the committees of the Corporation, and also undertakes a proportion of the quantity surveying work connected with it, His duties relate to the erection of new “buildings and the reconstruction, adaptation, and alteration of ting buildings in Corporation ownership, and include the . hole range of Architect's work from the sketch plan stage to the supervision of work in the course of erection, the issue of certificates, and preparation of final accounts. The quantity surveying section of the department carries out the full range of duties usually undertaken by Chartered Quantity Surveyors. He 50 acts as architectural consultant to the planning authority, Former City Architect J. Nelson Meredith, FRIBA ai aga | my sine7hy 4iy |5Wo ne|ofthe BristolCity Architect's Department and collaborates with the City Engineer and Planning Officer in approving and reporting upon plans and elevations submitted under by-laws for the erection of buildings by private enterprise and in relationship to the Town and Country Planning Acts, where it is necessary to take into account the design of buildings to be erected within the city boundary. The Department is organised under the control of the Architects’ Committee of the City Council. Such a Committee ensures that the department is organised to deal with the work of other client Committees and that the commissions are allotted proper priority. The Department is under the direction of Mr Albert H. Clarke, FRIBA, AMTPI, the City Architect, with MrT. S. Singer, ARIBA, AMTPI, as Deputy City Architect. Ithas an establishment of architects, quantity surveyors, clerks of works, administrative and clerical personnel, totalling some 140, including 30 chartered architects, 27 assistant architects, 28 assistants, 20 quantity surveyors and 15 clerks of works. This staff establishment has never been up to full strength and a number of vacancies still exist which itis hoped to fil. For ease of operation, the architectural personnel are divided into three sections, specialising in housing, education and general work. Each of these sections ts led by a chief assistant architect and deputy chief assistant architect, who take charge of the detailed day-to-day work on individual projects being dealt with in the section. The quantity surveying section, with a chief quantity surveyor and deputy chief quantity surveyor, Top row: J. Nolson Meredith Former City Architect Albert H. Clarke City Architect K. J. Watson Chief Assistant Architect (Education) Bottom row: T. 5S. Singer rs Dogety Oly Arehitoct OAP May 64 SfB (9) eri -2 4 City Architect from 1908 to 1926 F. E. Pearce Edwards, FRIBA City Architect since 1953 J. L. Womersley, CBE, FRIBA, MTPI On the 5th October, 1908, Mr. F. E. Pearce Edwards, formerly the City Architect and Architect to the Education Committee of Bradford, took up his duties as the first City Architect of Sheffield. The officers formerly employed in the architectural department of the City Surveyors Department and those of the buildings department of the Education Department were transferred to Mr. Edwards, who became responsible for al architectural work including the preparation of plans, specifications for new buildings, alterations or extensions required by the various committees and departments of the City Council as occasion arose, except where the City Council otherwise determined. He also was responsible for the preparation of bills of quantities and for the small repairs and maintenance branch which then existed. It is perhaps of interest to note that in 1910 the repairs branch had 12 workmen whose total wages bill was £20 per week. Mr. Edwards retired on December 31st, 1925, having devoted nearly 40 years to public service. During the 17 years he served Sheffield his department was responsible for the design and construction of many new council schools, secondary and special schools and extensions to colleges and schools. New buildings for other committees included several tramway depots, new swimming baths at Walkley and Hillsborough, depots for the Waterworks and Cleansing Departments, and extension of the Lodge Moor Hospital, but perhaps the work for which he will be best remembered is the very fine extension he completed in 1923 to the Town Hall designed by A. W. Mountford and opened in 1897. The Sheffield City Council has always been a progressive housing authority and under the Housing Acts of 1919 to 1924 over 5,000 new houses were built under Mr. Edwards's direction. Mr. W. George Davies became Sheffield’s second City Architect on May 1st, 1926, and stayed until he retired on January 1st, 1953. Mr. Davies had previous local government service at Bradford, Essex and Belfast and had specialised in schools work. Undoubtedly, some very fine school buildings were produced by the Department under Mr. Davies’ direction. The Central Secondary School, now the High Storrs Grammar School, and the Abbey Lane School are two good examples. During Mr. Davies's period of office, over 33,000 dwellings, including some interesting pre-war flats schemes, were erected. One of the outstanding buildings for which he was responsible, and which will form an important feature of the new Civic Centre, is the Central Library and Graves Art Gallery. Another is the extension to the Weston Park Museum and Mappin Art Gallery, which unfortunately was badly damaged during the War and is now being reinstated. (The Civic Reception for the Conference is to be held in this building.) This extension was carried out by direct labour under Mr. Davies's control. The Department had a repairs and maintenance branch which was developed under Mr. Edwards. In 1927 the City Council 636 City Architect from 1926 to 1953 W. George Davies, FRIBA decided to build some schools by direct labour an force was set up under Mr. Davies and grew unt * size of over 800 employees, undertaking al kinds °’ work. In 1938, it was decided to place the direct! under a separate chief officer and the Public Wor > was then formed, which now has some 2,000 em During the 1939-45 War, when approximately 70° were damaged in Sheffield, the Department wes for first-aid repairs and the ultimate reinstatement © buildings The City Council has throughout the years suppler work of the Department by that of private architecTM the outstanding buildings, designed by E. Vincent” City Hall, opened in 1934, where the opening a sessions of the Conference will be held é Mr. Davies had the difficult task of re-establishine Department after the war, when the demand for and technical officers and building resources far ot supply. However, he achieved a great deal witho himself much limelight. It was on the firm four = first by Mr. Edwards and built upon by Mr. Dar Mr. J. Lewis Womersley was able to develop t when he became the City’s third City Architect © 1953. it is perhaps during the past ten years that the wo’ © Department has attracted most attention. Mr came to the Department from Northampton wher 2 reputation for his housing work. He now fis 200 of which 80 are architectural; the remaine quantity surveyors, structural, heating and elect’ land surveyors, clerks of works and administratv been responsible for much of the recent rebuildin for major housing redevelopment schemes anc peripheral developments, in which he has sought to improve housing standards and to secure pect segregation from traffic. One of the best-known schemes is Park Hill wi! designed as a neighbourhood unit with schools §!** centres, clubs, tenants’ meeting hall and laundries © was awarded the Good Design for Housing Med!” the RIBA Bronze Medal for Sheffield, South Yorks" District for 1962. This scheme, costing over £2.07 built by the Public Works Department under its > Manager, Mr. H. Smith, ARICS. Another is 1 Valley Development where interest centres on 5° excessively steep slopes and on the use of exist © landscape. Mr. Womersley was awarded the 815” in Town Planning in March, 1958, for his work * and at Greenhill, Gleadless and Park Hil! in She" Another RIBA Bronze Medal was awardec Greenland Road Bus Garage When awarded the CBE last year Mr. Wome” a a) eee — Fal ah a ~~ . on Saas TM By bs criia * a = re 1 2! 5 ae ” ed . ed ~ End ; ae Yorkshire. 10 January 1978 Dear Mr. Smith, Yours sincerely, Aicunr Os When telephoning please ask for: General Secretary: GEOFFREY DRAIN BA, LL B, JP. Mike Dobson Alan Jinkinson Local Government Service Conditions Officer LG/7/GA/G2 Uy NATIONAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICERS ASSOCIATION Barrister B. Smith, Esq., 56 Sunnyvale Road, Totley, Sheffield, 1Mabledon Place London WC1H 9AJ 01-388 2366 ASSISTANT GENERAL SECRETARY JOHN DALY Service Conditions In reply to your letter dated 5 January 1978 I have noted your observations but the point you have raised would be more appropriately dealt with by your professional association the Association of Official Architects. As a trade union NALGO is concerned directly with service conditions matters affecting its members and the problems to which you refer should be directed through the professional body who will be better equipped to deal with them. SHEFFIELD JULY 1977 A SPECIAL BULLETIN FROM THE NALGO/MRC PROJECT STEERING COMMITTEE Approximately 2000 members completed questionnaires in the survey carried out earlier this year ~ about one third of the Branchmembership. Althoughit{snotpossibletoprovethesampleisatotallyrepresentativeone,thesampleislargeby All Departments and status levels are represented. 51% are male and 4% female. eos) 31%areunder25,38%26-40,and31%41orolder. 34% have less than 3 years’ service, 39%] 3-10 years, and 27% 11 or more years. 55% say their political opinions are "right" of centre, 45% "left" of centre. The results are helpful in answering certain questions: IS IT TRUE THAT ONLY A SMALL MINORITY ARE EVER ACTIVE IN THE BRANCH? Yes and No. If you take any single activity - such as attending union rallies, attending meetings, canvassing or raising issues with shop stewards ~ then generally fewer than 40%} of the membership have done any one of these in the last 12 months, However 73% of the sample reported having voted {n a unfon election in the past 12 months, and taking all activitiestogetheronly12%reporttheyhavedonenoneofthem. Inotherwordsonlyjustover1in10istruly“inactive”. ARE ONLY POLITICALLY MINDED PEOPLE ACTIVE IN THE UNION ? FOR WHAT REASONS DO PEOPLE GET INVOLVED IN UNION AFFAIRS ? 0 Ideology and politics are not the most common reasons; more people see involvement 4s 8 way of putting their point >f view across, and concem over service conditions seems to be the predominant motivation here. For example, 39% feel their salary {s unfair compared with that of other Council employees; 44% feel their promotion opportunities are unfairly Hmited, and 41% feel the economic climate represents a direct threat to them in their jobs. For many it seems the union is important as a path to industrial democracy - 47% want more involvement in higher management decision-making. WHY DO PEOPLE NOT TURN UP TO MEETINGS ? Reasons differ but the most common ones are: because people “have too many other things to do” (88%), because meetings are held at an “inconvenient” time (82%), or because they are "not interested in that particular meeting” (81%). (Contd. overleaf) The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those BRANCH oftheExecutiveCommittee. First results of UNION DEMOCRACY SURVEY No. Only 5% take an “ideological” approach to union involvement whilst 7% say they are actively involved but with no interest in politics. Both groups are oumumbered by those who are content to be inactive most of the time but prepared to be more active over certain specific issues, 1.e. 37% of the sample, of opinion on the extent to which the main Branch policy makers are seen as receptive to membership feelings and opinions, though it could be said that the number who think they are not {s disturbingly high ~45%. most survey standards, and the diversity of respondents suggests that all sections of branch membership are represented, Here {s a brief profile of the sample: In contrast, only a minority say "it would be a waste of time, my opinion wouldn't carry any weight" (47%), that they haven't been informed of meetings (38%), that the location is inconvenient (31%), or that they don't know or like the people who do attend (35% and 29% respectively). HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE HOSTILE TOWARDS THE UNION IN GENERAL AND BRANCH POLICIES IN PARTICULAR 2? A minority, though a noticeable one, are “reluctant union members” = just under 17% say they wouldn't be in the union if it were not a condition of service. A larger proportion are out of sympathy with Branch policy (34%) - but these are out~ numbered by the 39%} who agree with most Branch policy (27% couldn't decide on this question). There is a similar division Gale. if me 66% of the sample well-informed but the way they make decisions seems to vary considerably, WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE BRANCH ? Representatives also keep 15% involve members FOR FURTHER DETAILS OF THE SURVEY ++++++ee+- Please contact your shop steward, who has a more detailed report of the main findings. -~ 2 MORE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS The MRC (University) team are carrying out further investigations within the Branch, via interviews with all shop stewards and Branch Officers, by attending meetings, and by more complex analyses of all the findings. This information will provide further insights into how the branch is working. If there is a question you would like answering please write to the address below and we will endeavour to provide an answer in a special “question and answer" column of Nalgo News, Please write to: MRC/NALGO Project, 32 Northumberland Road, Sheffield, S10 2TN. Membership of the Project Steering Group Rn ; Es\akz.. Press Cactus SBISTS (pvext See(7IaSBofp-coKadkeer,Piste(xeS5 Mr Scanbonad 4 S| S22 | 2E2S4 par«eo Of sous By -§Jack te i Seem eeee _ HOW EFFECTIVE ARE COMMUNICATIONS WITHIN THE BRANCH 2? They are definitely good, as is suggested by the small number who say they are not informed about meetings. More directly, 68% say that the branch keeps the membership well informed about what it is doing, whilst 29% disagree with this. A large majority also report that they are kept well informed by their shop steward. ARE PEOPLE SATISFIED WITH TUE WAY THE BRANCII IS ORGANISED FOR UNION DEMOCRACY 2 Generally yes. Only 25% feel that they don't get suffictent Opportunity to express their feelings about Branch leadership through the existing electoral machinery, and a similarly small proportion feel that there has been too much “devolution” to department level union organisation. ‘The shop steward system is important here and most people regard it as a progressive development for union democracy and the welfare of members. There fs agreement that its introduction has increased the union's effectiveness in negotiating with management, improved the flow of information within the branch, enhanced membership commitment to the union, and made the Branch more democratic. Quite well, insofar as almost all members have regular access to and contact with a shop steward or worksite Time, materials, and analysis were all provided free by the Medical Research Council HOW WELL IS THE SHOP STEWARD SYSTEM WORKING ? ; rep. Only jb say there is no union representative of any kind within easy reach, Similarly over half the sample see their representatives at least once a week, though 28% have very infrequent contact with one. completely equally in decision-making, and 35% consult with members before making decisions, But 50% only communicate with members about decisions after they have made them. In view of the fact that 77% of the sample say they feel stewards should be “followers” rather than "leaders" of membership opinion, this clearly leaves room for more consultation, Finally, there is considerable uncertainty and disagreement about how much influence on Branch policy AD is available via the shop steward system. Although the shop steward system is alive and well, there is no cause for complacency in these results, and there is a clear need for improvements in certain areas, Whilst "downwards" communication from Branch to membership is effective, the "upward" communications and decision-making links need to be strengthened. Two areas suggest themselves for future attention; 1. The links between stewards and members need to be strengthened. Representatives should have more opportunity to consult directly with their electors, and both members and representatives should see thattheseopportunitiesareutilized. Constituency-basedelectionsofshopstewards,thoughnotwitnoutproblems,isone way of helping to create this closeness of representation, 2. The links between shop stewards and Branch policy making should be strengthened. Recent changes in Branch committee organisation are helping in this, but it requires a lively climate of departmental shop steward committee organisation to ensure that Branch policy continually evolves to reflect membership opinion. WHAT HAS THIS COST THE BRANGH ? Practically nothing. Unit in the University. MRC - N. Nicholson, G. Ursell, P. Blyton, Jackie Lubbock Zn Neo leaner « she. Steconret ae NALGO = Yvonne Rose, Ruth Sanders, Kath Butler, Keith Dugdale, David Haslam ~ > 7S ae S S 3 Werk foWed azeriraoas ~ / The NALGO- activists Nigel Nicholson and Gill Ursell A... it gives me a chance to give vent to my feelings B .. .-it identifies ma with ae Labour Movement 23 64 i9 72 15 74 13 73 collar unions themselves face the challenge raised an issue with a of accommodating new high status members union rep with diverse needs. Clearly, the first chal- attended a fullbranch lenge is highly dependent on the second. meeting Yet very little is Known about what white canvassed within the members’ opinions and feelings in these 61 26 13 areas. What attitudes and opinions encourage. 65 22 34 12 and discourage activism? First, it is im- branch their unions, still less about Aow they parti- spoke at a meeting 84 6 85 6 85 7 collar workers want from, or feel about, tion, but in both cases the answer is no. common among people who are active First, we asked members to define their members of political organisations outside own level of activism (table 1): Table 1: How members describe their involvement %o |amonlyamemberbecause|havetobe 17 1don’t mind being a member but |don't have any interest in the union 35 the workplace. In terms of personal charac- teristics, activists are more often male, long service, older employees and have higher educational qualifications. At a more psychological level we have sought to identify what mofivates activists. Asking people directly about different possible needs for involvement shows (table Most of the time | don’t gat involved but | do on certain issues 37 I'ma loyal and active member most of the time but |have no concern for the ideological aspects of trade unionism My involvement in the union is an exten- sion of my political and ideological beliefs 5 While the closed shop agreement seems to have netted a sizeable minority of “reluct- ant” or “unwilling” union members, just about half the sample say they are occasion- ally or regularly active in union affairs. A problem here is one’s definition of “active”; clearly people may be active in a number of different ways. To look at levels of membership participation multi-dimension- influence others ally we asked respondents to state how However, admission of any of these needs often in the previous twelye months they is highly correlated with activism—most had participated in each of seven ways strongly so in the case of needs for affilia- (table 2): tion and influence (items c and pD in table 10 sonsiderable growth in white collar Table 2: Participation in union activi- 3) and to a somewhat lesser extent for nsM1 Over recent years poses two im- ties over a twelve-month period expressive and ideological needs (items A portant challenges. On the one hand, it presents a challenge to traditional patterns of management as dual membership and activity allegiance (to both union and management) reach -upward into the higher levels of voted in union elections 27 56 7 want from the union. A large part of the organisations. On the other hand, white attended a dept mesting 54 26 13 questionnaire was devoted to revealing cipate in union activity. r attended aunion rally These issues form the focus of a major What is particularly interesting about these Table 4: Members’ attitudes to branch research collaboration between a team forms of -participation is that they are not policy from Sheffield University and one of the as highly correlated as one might expect: largest provincia! city branches of NALGo, Who does or does not participate is not the the local government union. The 6,000 ‘same across al forms. This is illustrated strong branch is pioneering an industry- by tabulating how many. different activities agree disagree Yo Yo style shop steward system, which was ' people have engaged in. From this it re y endorsed and recommended to emerges that only 13 per cent have engaged |am strongly opposed toa lot of 57 33 other branches by the union’s annual con- in none of the seven activities in the last what this branch does 32 39 ference. The current programme of action- twelve months, 26 per cent have done only As one might expect, the more active Tesearch is thus for the union branch a one of them, 26 per cent have done any members tend to be those who wish the ccurageous piece of self-examination and two, 15 per cent any three, 21 per cent union to have a wider role than solely a declaration of intent to use systematic- four or more. defending job and pay levels. They are ally gathered information to further re- It is notable here that if one accepts a more ready to endorse branch policy (much form and refine it’s representational system. generous definition of participation then of which concerns issues over and above The part of this continuing research pro- it is by no means a minority phenomenon; local service conditions). This tendency for Stamme that we report here consists of on the contrary it is the totally inactive non-activists to disassociate themselves the first results of a postal survey of the members who are the small minority. Yet attitudinally from the union also emerges entire branch membership, which yielded the possibility still exists for the highly in the reasons people give for not attending a return of 2,050 questionnaires. active minority to wield an effective and meetings (table 5). Nigel Nicholson end Gill Urselt are researchers with the Medical Research Council Social and Applied Psychology Unit at Sheffield University. Our primary analysis of the results has unrepresentative control over union affairs. Correlations from these and similar ques- been geared to seeking answers to a Thus the second major question we tions reinforces the conclusion that in- number of questions. First: Js it true that sought to answer was: What types of mem- difference, torpor, negativism and a feeling only a small minority participate in union ber are active? Contrary to popular belief, of “weightlessness” in the face of the union affairs? The questicnnaire results provide activism is not confined to left-wingers. In machine are felt ‘by non-active members. two different sorts of answer to this ques- 7 Table 3: |value being a union member because... ~ 3) that each of these needs is only acknow- Talal g to be personally relevant by a minority. agree disagree ~ YoYo C .. it helps bring me into con- tact with other people D... it gives me-a chance to three and B). not once or or more Clearly such needs do nce exist inde- atall twice times pendently of people’s experiences and atti- %o So Yo tudes to work and what they expect and epiae portant to note that wide differences of 8 opinion exist among the membership about 9 what the branch should be and is doing 8 (table 4): our sample an equal number of right-wing Nonetheless it might be expected that activ- members are highly active. However actiy- ists would have negative attitudes to aspects ism is positively related to people's self- of employment such as job content, pay, assessed interest in politics and is especially promotion opportunities, and the employer 1 want the union branch to con- fine itself to defending my job and pay level 581 VST TEtan pesewpegs - oe = cere + 2 :tineiaaginaaieSpPayFEPEtosbo TS - ESL as ME SEEREPras i /- “excessive stress” in their jobs, feel that the present economic climate directly threatens their own jobs and desire more involve- ment in higher management decision- making. The latter result is particularly important: demonstrating that white collar employees value their involvement in trade making a decision 37 unions as a form of “workers’ participa- # city corporation). Surprisingly, this is regular contact with stewards described Ot the case, though activism is related to their “style” of decision-making: Some other work attitudes. More active / members tend to admit to being under Table 7: Members’ descriptions of their shop steward’s ‘style’ tion.” This leads us finally to the question that Table 5: Members’ reasons for not attending union meetings some- never times/often allows me an equal Say in decisions 15 This brings us finally to the most import- |have too many other things to do The time of meetings is in- convenient - I'm not interested in that particular meeting I'm not interested in the union generally 12 18 19 Stand A feeling -39 my opinion wouldn't carry ‘ of fun Angela Carter It would be a waste of time— any weight | haven't been informed of @: meeting 533 62 63 65 71 and’ attending full branch meetings. The is unambiguous; but the noun certainly the reason %o the reason - %o " 88 62 81 61 47 38 27 35 29 ant findings to emerge from the research so far. Correlational analysis clearly shows that members who have good access to shop stewards are more likely to be active than those who do not. In other words, the shop steward may have a crucial part to play in developing membership interest and partici- pation. Still more interesting relationships emerge on the shop steward “style” variable, for results suggest that “democratic” shop stewards tend to foster “local’’ forms of union involyement—attending departmental meetings, raising issues, and convassing for causes. Members with “autocratic” stewards are more likely to engage in ‘“‘central’’ forms of participation—voting, attending rallies, The idea of “fun” is an odd one. “Funny” e& place of the meetings is inconvenient Idon't know the people who are active in the union Idon't like the people who are active in the union encapsulates the main purpose of our research: What patterns of union organisa- tion stimulate membership involvement? The branch adopted the shop steward system some four years ago with the aim of strengthening members’ ties with union decision-making and to devolve responsi- bility for negotiation from the centre to the departments of the corporation. We asked members to evaluate the changes they had witnessed as a result of the sys- tem’s introduction and found that percep- direction of causation in all these relation- tudes and behaviour will shed further light machine killed you with too much pleasure. T% makes decisions and then informs me about them afterwards 25 makes decisions and then takes some trouble to explain or justify them 23 consults me about the options before does not imply the simply risible. And fun ships is probably two-way, and it is hoped is quite different from pleasure, which has that closer scrutiny of shop stewards’ atti- obscure overtones of the erotic. Barbarella’s on these results. Buying votes Since the 1972 us presidential election— when, among other things, Richard Nixon’s Campaign to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) greatly outspent George McGovy- ern’s Democratic Party campaign—new laws have been introduced in the us to limit private and corporate financial contribu- tions to political campaigns with the object of curtailing abuses. But. does campaign spending really matter anyway? Lawrence Shepard has investigated the extent to which spending sways public opinion in Californian congressional elections (Public” Opinion Quarterly, vol 41, No. 2, page 196). A machine that killed you with too much fun suggests a far less swooning death. Death by tickling, perhaps. (The World's Fair advertises tickling sticks, “ideal for Glasgow Fair.”) Fun is also quite different from delight, which is a more cerebral and elevated concept. You might get pleasure, or delight, froma good performance of The Marriage of Figaro. If you found it fun, or worse, “great fun,” it would only go to show what a camp little number you were. According to the Oxford English Dic- tionary, “fun” originally meant a cheat, a hoax, a practical joke; widened to involve ridicule (“to poke fun’) and heartlessness, always an aspect of the comic, It only finally settled to a significance of guiltless enjoyment at around the tum of this cen- tions were largely favourable (table 6): Table 6: Members’ perceptions of changes since adoption of a shop After a complex multiple linear regression tury. Perhaps some folk memory of its eward system information flow union. effectiveness conflict in branch membership commitment democracy in branch 31 50 management—union analysis, Shepard found that public opinion earlier meaning is what lends a certain am- as expressed by voting behaviour was more ‘bivalence to funfairs. (Which are not the more no change %o So 65 32 less %o 9 was shown to vary directly with population 54 42 44 52 responsive to Republican spending than same as fairs.) 4 Democratic spending. The proportion voting Since fun is pleasure without. guilt, as in 4 Democratic in each district was simply re- the euphemistic “fun-loving,” we are bound 35 56 the thing is the guilt, anyway. Adultery is to feel it must be inherently trivial. In a towards Democratic candidates. This total Judaeo-Christian culture, half the fun of 4 lated to the number of citizens predisposed 18 density, degree of urbanisation and un- never fun; look at Anna Karenina. Swap- employment—and it also varied inversely 28° with income. ping is fun, or so the writers to Forum harmony 19 52 A more direct evaluation of the system is Although Democratic spending does in- you in approved school, but “having a bit provided by members’ own reports of their crease when the election result is expected contact with shop stewards. These reveal to be close, it makes no difference to Demo- that the great majority have easy and cratic performance. Shepard therefore con- regular access to, and information from, cludes that incumbency and predeliction their representatives, though it is less are the most important influences in Demo- evident that all stewards are approaching cratic voting behaviour. But the new legis- the pleasure of the working class, as defined their role in an overtly democratic manner, lation on campaign’ expenditure docs Table 7 shows how those members in diminish Republican prospects. from outside that class. Nevertheless, it’s a shibboleth that ain Ree ————————cncneecacape-roerciestalea teneeeAI TTTETTET claim. Promiscuity isn’t fun and will land of fun” with a consenting adult suggests that nobody minds a slice off a cut loaf. Fun is pleasure that does not involve the conscience or, furthermore, the intellect. Hegel is never fun. Fun, in fact, might be "New Society 15 December 1977 Dick Scott Stewart NRC/NALGO FROJECT -- UNION DsvOCRACY SURVEY /DEPARMMENTAL FROEILE This sheet summarises the results for your Department of the membership survey carried out earlier in.the year. It docs so by showing under 5 head— ings in what ways your Department differs from "the Rest". If no differences are mentioned, you may sssume your Decvartment's results are broadly similar to those of "the Rest". For details of these, consult the full revort of results issued to shop stewards, or to the. summary issues to all the memoder— ship. Department PLANNING & DESIGN 4) SAMPLE CHARACTERTSTICS ——---- eee ee ee Sample Size 272 Response Rate 56% . "the Rest" 1781 2) MEMBERSHIP ACTIVISM/INVOLWVRENT P&D 74%| 615| 2he65| us the Rest 13% 19% 29.55 8.5% venue for union meetings is a greater consideration. ‘ 82% of Planning & Design respondents are male, which is a much larger pro- portion of men than among the Rest (425 male). This Department tends to be more highly educated than most, with 65% holding first degree or higher equivalent qualifications compared with 3% among, the Rest. However, Planning and Design members are likely to supervise fewer other people than is generally the case. Members in this Department seem less likely to do nothing in the union but more likely to do very little rather than a lot. Measuring participating in 7 forms of union activity and comparing this Department with the Best gives the following percentage distributions for extent of activity: A larger proportion of P & D members have voted in union elections than among the Rest 83% as against 725), but-fewer have attended derartmental union meetings (225 as against 73 » and have taken part in union rallies ($5 as against 153). Apparently for P & D members the inconvenience of the 0 4-2 3-6 7 Number of Activities engaged in SDaaa Sag ASOEaTeTRTSECSCDERRaaaeca Fewer P & D members feel themselves to be under stress intheir jobs (414 feel under stress as against 265 of the Rest), and fewer find their work is boring (124 say it is, os against 164 of the Rest). Also there seems to be less inchnation to feel that the Department has more than its fair share of pro- blems (235 feel it has, as against 31% of the Rest). Problem-loaded, stressful and/or boring work would not then appear to be substantial reasons for union involvement in this Department. The membership here is also less likely to look to union involvement as a way of identifying with the labour movement (11% regard it in these terms, as against 193 of the Rest). However 564 of P& D respondents do feel that the current economic climate represents a threat to them in their jobs, i.e. more than half those replying and significantly more than the 38% of tne Rest who feel this threat. 1,) REPRESENTATION AND THE SHOP STEWARD SYSTEM Generally soeaking P & D members are better served by their shop stewards in >?) that more of them have frequent contact with their representatives {at least once per week for 67% of them, which compares with 5/% among the Rest). Also more P & D snop stewards are employing consultative and democratic styles of decision-making in their relationship with their constituents: 51% of the membership describe their steward in these terms, as against 35% among the Rest. So far as assessing the introduction of the shop steward system is concerned, P & D attitudes tend to be very close the the norm (se2 Section & of the full report), with the excention that slightly more people see the system as generating greater conflict within the branch. . 5) APTITUDSS TOWARD THE UNLON AND BRANCH TEMOCRACY Greater dissatisfaction with the union branch is expressed by P & D members on counts: 49% of P & D membership is strongly opposed to a lot of what the branch does, simificantly more than the 325 of the Rest who feel this; 38 regard shop stewards as having too little say in branch policy, some 84 more than those among the Rest who say this; 32 are dissatisfied with the current electoral system for-branch leadership, some 74 than among _ the Rests finally, fewer P & D members regard Chief Shop Stewards and Branch Officers as taking sufficient acount of membership feeling (21% say they do, as against 234 of the Rest). : oD xe First Results of U.D.S - Some interpretative comments from the University teom Ree First, what do people do in the won? se wae The survey is significant for several reasons. In the wider sphere as a tpoical comnentm on the growth of white-collar wiionism, Implications also for industrial democracy, for managerial and white collar unionism established democratic lines of comminichytion that cut across the boundaries of arganisatibnal hierarchy. fhis msns it is important to Pind x out who particivates in theimion and why Whilst it is avparent that only a smll proportion have ever held office (taple 16%) » this is not the whole story and larger proportions participate in others ways (tables 17-23). Even so, a large proportion are generally inactive, Some clue to reasons are to be found in table 2), where a general disinclinaticn/apathy is more canmon than feelings of haxtitrtyy; alienation, Our study is especially interesting being based on a large ard heterogeneous population - 2000 returns from all levels, fimctions, areas. A better understanding of people's feelings about union invdlvement is to be found in table 1)., which shows that most inactivity is potentially activity given the right stimulus — one mist asaume that this means tmt members are content with their ovm inactitity. How do people's needs and attitwies explain activity/apathy? Tables 32-5 show that the union is no’ serving individuel needs ina deeper psychologicel sense for mare than a minority, but that of these needs the n'"opinion expressive" function is the strongest. i.e. the remainzder (on the evidence of +14) are only pulled into action by crisis-created needs. It would seem that the membershin are rexlatively content about sm:h-axs the Unions's effectiveness as an information channel (4.39), and is reasonably confident that electoral checks on the leadership do exist44+2> (.42). Moreover, whilst the membership"s view af what the scope of twrtomcx Branch policy/is narrower than ib is in reality (+.36) they are not,on balance, opposed to Branch polity (t.37), though the no. of yeses here is not insignifiayt. Opinion is divided omer the extent to which Branch Officers take account of members feelings.(t.38) What checks are there on exécufive action? How well is the shop steward system working? This is crucial to the interpretation of all foregoing results. Insofar as the ses. system epitcmise& devolved power, the membership neither clearly endorse nor criticise the system (t,l4), though there is an uncomfortabiz large proportion (albeit balanced by one of opposite opinion) who lack faith in their rep.'s access to power and decision-making(+¢.10) More positive are results concerning s.S »-member relations, which seem to be close and canmmicative (+.25)(t.26). However, stecards seem to vary widely in their "style" of operation (¢.27) ané clearly some need to be less autocratic and more sresvonsive to their members, It seems that stewards are viewed most favourably as information chanrels (4.28), and are not sccm as concerned or aware of members' individial problems (+29). Let us be clear on this point — the members want their stewards +d be more receptive to their needs (t.31). However, from those who were in a position to assess the effects of the introduction of the system, (aprrox 1200), -L~ people are gererally positive about the changes it has brought about (t.20) = the system does work, though with some possibly uncomfartable (butarguably beneficial) side-effects (e.g- conflict within the Branch). “ Binally, in view of table 48, it is clear that the union has a role to play in giving people access to decision-making, The implications for the Branch are relatively clear: first, there is a need to strengthen links between shop stewards and Branch policy-making; second, there is a need to iimpzove the patterns of consultation between shop stewards and membership, It showld be stessed that we have no data on the wider union system and the tim links between membership and bodies beyond Branch level, but the evidence of all participation research strongly urges the point of view the democracy begins at hame, Sheffield Branch has got a head start over others on this, and the results of this survey offer the opportunity for future advances. y Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Murray Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1978 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/33158cdf2a51d538181ef19936ae6317.pdf 0842fbc285558df975d6e2392d014589 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Public Design Group Description An account of the resource <p><span style="font-weight:400;">Argued that it was only through the public sector that the majority of people could have access to the land and resources needed for housing, education and other essential services. The task was therefore to reform the practice of architecture in local councils to provide an accessible and accountable design service. The Public Design Group proposed reforms to the practice of architecture in local councils to provide a design service accessible and accountable to local people and service users. The following 6 Interim Proposals were developed which were later initiated and implemented in Haringey Council 1979-1985 by NAM members. </span></p> <ul><li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Local area control over resources </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Design teams to be area based </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Area design teams to be multi-disciplinary </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Project architects to report directly to committee</span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Abolish posts between Team Leader and Chief Architect </span></li> <li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Joint working groups with Direct Labour Organisations</span></li> </ul> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. 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As NAns atagunak pat & te Momepaliss Cou mas |'nx (2) | enehjsis afHh . haleupp+ aRIGACarmelao ALCUL cullGaye Tse bool ane Olneenalid by patbnar for theme practa,./| [prrtice wm t wselA also tdve hac fodrotane || a Shep a thin SPbabaseses Shey,SaQntiy ewgolfru Ofpuction | . | pas Fham midiima, seat oracle’ (eofle), astale F| According ft Some 26%, oY prackiss, reveiiteler hardle Got ove EO, ofravk by (lie and erofoler] Go yf | Stlirnndantlicf tThDrigeteSeto).hr . wv — ° ° Ke SamoSetogapralelsAndaW"hsee fash Tryon tr (4)Prete + a Norma,AthorasMegcalo ws a eS ——S prachct re. 1 dul ene hspias He AU” avehalctt wil bau) partneyr ne ce cancel— dannof acloffhe nsoEYHasBLED ny fe Wyle fh ctf 85 seal en e022 Ietyelo oe Ce hee}apfureroa Ke Mo ral 1 Uu a5aayzov eee oemite a aeby ) cote Chefae eea Ze LidhiA | 1 ba. o thew Aefparhas-Lr %& Bb : ofmieperdodandoo to.asox feriate practtoata,bat antl. aate | AsampleSumvegfSeg sap Salta pes 1 Cat.officepane ee cbpluled vit Voce 0fpluid %evenlpupet-&Le oe HvStileenvyla»Theerttahle Bp nnicLtol up tule =Pepin Sabana,’ yee of fecal Salante,Bee ee May eeThoee es ¥ one atiadnmvanbertemamnoubaruniaee: - = = Artitzctone Y0prachced ' b. oetle, an eto Gwalily yee és hs 1 barann wills svetely ~G) BD &, / wets, cans wate 4a tae ‘totais fancks ent aaa he a t fo pe az th bot ‘© Admit, Yo turrting tes Nene afte, UeGantdy AVe cntofWtawh, becauneAysviavthReduceAe ag Une Ass fetter 1} howe o,.scot © Kedluce labow) Hime expt.oted, Gow 2 relative Waa tt tr pega Meprope CtueD, nears aeihea)HeaaS | .«A monte ©Nice bildiog Aiea bok qWirtimable tote, ta bo @ Guth hatea fev s bare himanred Consfan7, feorc 4tunete 3 — Tees Ss -rt es SF te -—__ A St Cieee . Gets tt —ste a ybueg)Lt Micongquoldy tHebe Tew 4 Af L SolefSouee i sa 2Shull Of buldhg ThocyloWesat tesfeds : fe the ) Apne,t alcat procuctosby : ey Convtceeu ie Aevelus Hoey awn AW aa eel /oo at shuha« ae mi S| on.ioe: Se jpeg /SRU 2 Pony Cole yutansaf Liphihied | Uonl WedthangAosalueifaff7 Lot eh evade \JPhe Hurrah 2Q 4Gwile? ees lishack WJ G) AMlnrA fo preload in.bs | anyAlas”duby 29 | ee aie We wt hains Pp Design. Semeex “Se pin\i x ms a as =a -- hy, may ¥ oT: — } a& ‘ ones *) Us a ' r fr | | |i iK { Dear “ igen. rr Aig,e~) — =< 82, Kimberley Rd. Leicester, July 16th. '79 o nS your group rep, please can you get your group to discuss and &ct on the following: The preparation for Congress is now underway and @ arart &genda h&s peen drawn up Oy the Liaison Group. Acopy of this agenda Will oe circulated to &ll groups in the Liaison Group Minutes. £. Annual report (brief), and motions (if any): These will be needed by the first week of October So that they can be sorted out and printed in time to send to people before Congress. - So start Writing now. » 0. Display panel(s): We would like each &roup to prepare a bright, attractive, zappy display panel Showing in an easy to assimilate form the Work, projects and activities they have deen involved in. This will form an exhivition Giving 4n introduction to i. Workshop topics; lhis year we are departing from previous practice and organising workshops (Some of them With sympathetic people from outside N.A.M.) which cut &cross our oWn specialist &roups. You should ve Betting @ more detailed list soon. Can you Send us any criticisms of existing workshops or Proposals Tor new ones that you may have, preferably before mid-August. We can obviously change things right up till the beginning of Congress, but it Would be vetter to get things sorted Out &S soon &8 possible for effective Publicity ete. N.A.W.'3 work at the Congress. For those of us who are not so well organised - a timetable: r id-August: suggestions re. workshops. 1979 N.A.M. Congress, ist. week in Octover: Annual report &nd motions. Novemoer: display panels. Bev. Daa Prepwrals Now you've got no excuses, We look forward to hearing from you. Yours fraternally (or Sidlingly?) Jobn Mitchell, for Congress organising cttee. _ ‘ rar é j a Aaa ye ; 42 5) lhasland Sa. Mm,{-éINAIASpCal)=La (Dy‘typeCyile5bytwd.}.!a ectBsoepeif u‘, (oi. Cl- fos lS? Ne L Adon SE f Pease reply to above address, or Phone Leicester \daytime) if you've got any queries. 671513 ext ge NM lO FUTURE cote- Should Rap cpag Ted Eeposh aeWieGeyaeLys.Y. ee Lech bel Dine G, [Min saggyeld auc if bes Ment te pact, po ette eae ro ED. Proge,feaemnTaee Bb 3 reteGarcon, obenMetall,teMary, e‘of ‘ 4ptmKplnpteLf,feyhyeiTieee eel ASty-Fe cae DSState, 32 Bri&ceho Meleganr Meo dipriofcSfepaeld DLO, 4:0 DEGAe cithelaeser, e<aA[lobiast AbshatoeSsocaAIPe ne Rea or 2: —— oe =: a PoloGraewee.ti®nprtayeartuclhhbnPN4fartss « eo MantLs tfrre. Depry a*Geoulp iat Group eBelectfeo« a (htad« c A Laos ae a a eer pocet esthiloYueG « Ponaukitcun ros precoato ae NpavelleledhyLn clb»eThelTclyena~ (AY Ulichasacttandipstes S.ReetolerlnehorltiltedBeeGAprs!)| F2 dulyMictgofEtucatlnnGroup tbealtel. G2 fdweny oF war Srmenns Sherk Ulm « f acocun ae jo see of Fe85n- o nie~vemaclayUarctilzoture,teet—a(ey KEL | bo +bre dpeuned nin nio~ hareatk Sy Som Cr-hetzhX~ t theopelicah 1stlS ca beArena it 52 Crtistel scheotls, Speculataiootn ant ofit willbeers eq Uirhidfo Mrefta,eait 10 Wiki Fare Prot « Sop nev qritnEgo Huon Dobra Sc UAtSerdceuP LELRERT :(obo~ Mifell) a 2 mol ance bodewieKheAmeSoSage « No ene | VO MELT MEETING: _ . 3 lest i.; | u7, 60 Commwnity AremtecTULE COmFEMGnee « profotl7teli ee 5at.deh, Ee ee aaa 7 tlaae ebOthewre.Minto&praySOEAe aayeder| it the goat tmtagh yp)beat ict Ga ypen Wife pa LA. ARCHITECT'S DEPARTMENTS — UNDER THE AXE? job Cen 25% | iia <r a pet if (N ae (ANskein , With the Conservative Government now seemingly entrenched for a five year term the effects of their promises to drastically reduce public spending, and to place major importance on the private sector, are Starting to be felt. The Conservative manifesto stated that they did not intend to use the construction industry as an economic regulator, but it is becoming increasingly obvious that they have to do this, and that the cuts will hit the industry severely. The Group of Eight have already reacted by lobbying the new Environment Secretary, Michael Heseltine, on a number of points, including their beleif that any further cuts will jeopardise the industry's chances of handling the country's future needs, and that the change in emphasis i to the private sector will cause many short-term problems. The construction unions have all expressed concern and threatened action, UCATT in particular has pledged to oppose any restrictions on D.L.O's. Various bodies concerned with housing, most notably Shelter and many Labour councils, have attacked the proposed drops in councilhouse building and increases in councilhouse sales. Soar Architects will of corse be as hard hit as everyone else concerned with the provision of buildings. Their workload must drop as the level of construction ddops (even allowing for labour intensive rehab work). They will have to design to even greater cost controls and to even lower standards, and will bear the blame for the resulvs. j ait Private practice may hope to gain from two possible sources, the transferal of work from L.A. architects departments and an upsurge in private sector building. L.A. architects departments are in a more difficult situation. They will be expected to bear most of the cutpacks in architectural services. If the government succeeds in it’s aims these departments will have work taken away from them, will suffer serious stafi reductions, will lose their heads and be absorbed in other departments to hide the losses, and their activities will be generally curtailed as much as possible. { di Yet although there have been many defences for general construction levels, council housing and direct labour, L.A. architects have so far not risen to the defence of their departments, and their jobs. The other interested bodies are defending themselves, why aren't L.A. architects? i i their cause any less defensible? Any such defence of L.A. architects departments must firstly consider @ number of points, including how effective the Conservatives can be with their policies, and where room will be left for local autonomy for .«f tae councils. Then the results of these considerations must be coupled | eis their cause any more’ hopeless than that of direct labour workers, is ‘if [ito arguments for the need for (and the worth and possibilities of) these in-house departments, ‘ It is of course impossible to say how succesful the Conservatives will } be with their attempted switch to the private sector, but a look at i council house sales can give us an idea, I A survey carried out by Shelter has shown that one in every six tenants who have bought their owm homes have lost them within twelve months due |} to failure to keep up payments. In the private sector the record isn't much better. Glasgow for instance has 120 applications to it's housing list every year from families who cannot keep up their mortage repayments: on private houses. Even with discounts the people who are tempted by ; Heseltines aprle of home ownership are not going to find it easy. There is some doubt that they will be even able to sell that many houses. ; Edinburgh has only sold 600 houses out of a stock of 57,000 since the war! with a continuous policy of house sales. This is a pattern repeated s throughout Sritain: witiz: the exception of London, Leeds and Birmingham and the rise of the minimum lending rate to 14% is bound to bring a reduction in all house sales, , ; Prypmmur -- Gg o- Papal Gre F Shuts bs Cc & sfes (aoe Moir ; re £ c /ats x NMRLS | —5 The implications of these figures are that in housing the private market will not be able to rise sufficiently to compensate for the drop in council houses, Even if developers do manage to build more houses who will buy them? There would anyway be a serious delay before private developers could increase their housebuilding, leaving another shortfall in housing starts, The Conservatives are therefore likely to be embarasse by the lack of housing starts over the next year and the pressure for Similarlyt}he Government will be under pressure when unemployment rises | especially in the building trades. The Conservatives may have a 44 seat majority but that does not mean that they can easily enforce their policies, They are reliant on the private sector to take advantage of the help they will be offering it. They are reliant on the money market to release enough capital for private investment, They are subject to pressure from various bodies including trade unions and local councils, 4 i bg The Conservatives will try to carry out their policies by means of Stricter control on the way that Local Authorities Spend their money. However they have also promised a certain amount of local autonomy. Mostly this autonomy will be in choosing which standard or service to Cut, but there will be some room for local decision making. They will find it hard to force some Labour Councils to abolish their D.L.0's or to sell their council houses. In the Same way Some Local Authorities wil., defend their architects departments, seeing them as an integral part of council buiding provision, ; ; 4 4 j L.A. architects departments have been the subject of much criticism in tH recent years, both from within the profession and outside. As part of a public service and a non-profit making institution they are naturally viewed as a threat to the prevailing ideology of individualism ana the market place. Cries of unfair competition can be heard from private practitioners , but what they are worried about is any competition, as building contractors are worried about D.L.0O's. Private practice already handles a substantial amount of local authority work and would be grateful to have more. 1 1)te Tenants and building users often associate L.A. architects departments | with all the faults of recent council house building. However a lot of the decisions which led to these faults were out of the architects vans and much of the work was done by private practices, Local authority | ; { TAs ee ,architects aren't blameless but they aren't the only culprits either. rp Local authority design has actually been receiving more favourable publicity recently, the AJ for instance has been criticised for it's m €mMphasis on local authority work. The prevailing ideology however leads to private practice being judged on it's better products, whilst local i authorities are judged by their failures. if To defend in-house departments it is necessary to to analyse what they | can offer that private practices can't. These departments are the only way of getting a continuity of service, with direct links to user % departments and the possibility of feedback, The London Borough cf { Hammersmith for example has co-ordinated and ‘integrated it's functions of; design, planning and housing management in an attempt to link housing ; policy implementation to actual housing needs. This integration would be i| impossible without in-house departments. (see AJ 25/4/79 pg 847) Unfortunately Hammersmith have not included their D.L.0O. in this integration, but it could be done, and it would lead to necessary links between design and construction, t The London Borough of Haringey have also reorganised their design process. They have restructured their architects department as a design co-operative in an attempt to overcome bureaucracy, give greater job Satisfaction, and to establish vital links with the community. The ; department has been split into area &roups who will do a cross-section of work and will have close contacts with tenants associations and community groups, The normal hierarchies have been flattened with job architects reporting direct to the Borough architect, team leaders only being responsible for job co-ordination. (see BD 4/5/79 vg +) }jf Dave Green/ public Design Service Group/ NAM/ June '79. f BANesting, ; “ai: E i ee am — L.A. architects departments could go much further in this direction. The ideas of Haringey and Hammersmith are Similar to the proposals of the New Architecture Movement's Public Design Service Group, as put : forward in their paper 'Community Architecture- a Public Design Service!*| These proposals include area control of resources, area based teams, f more responsibility for job architects, t.e flattening of hierarchies, and contacts with D.L.0's, One of the main problems with councils is that although councillors are elected on an area basis they serve on function committees where they have to make decisions on an assumed general interest. To safeguard ; local interests area committees are needed. These could be made up of representatives of tenants and.residents groups, trade unions and the local councillors, They could deal with the council matters that relate to their area, briefing architects and approving designs and standards. So that architects could relate to these area committees and make extra contact with the users of there buildings they nee? +o be organised! 3 on an area basis as well, For job architects to get involved in their work, and to take 7.- f responsibility for ti, it is necessary for them to report direct to committee, which would cut down irresponsible work done under blind ‘ orders. The present vertical structuring of architects departments sts from the lave 19th. Century model, which private practices have since changed to a system of multiple partners each with their own area of responsvdilit Local Authorities have however made more and more tiers of non-design ; staff to control the job architect. If the cuts are to hit anywhere it rid should be this hierarchical structure, through redeployment of staff, ae ; To spread the architects range of contacts, which would enable them to design more responsibly, joint working groups with D.L.0's could be 4 j set up. These could lead the way to an integrated design and build system, Te These changes would enable greater contact with tenants, and would give those tenants a greater say in their environment. It is by these means that a real community architecture could be established. Local authority architects therefore offer a unique Opportunity in architecture today, an integration of the building process in complete contrast to it's present fragmented state. ; a i Therfore we need to defend these departments both for their value now i and for their value in the future. The case is by no means hopeless. i Other local authority workers are fighting with some success to maintain } wtheir position as part of a service, and some of the more progressive \ councils have shown themselves sympathetic to ideas for reorganisation i i| put forward by staff, as at Haringey. The means of action for this defence need to be varied. Any attempts : >i at cutbacks or reorganisation should be met with alternative proposals, Organisation within NALGO should be attempted. The RIBA should be lobbied, if only to see their reaction. Councils need convincing of the worth of their architects departments and general publicity of the positive sides of local authority architectire is needed, i zy *'Community Architecture-a Public Design Service' is available from NAM, 9 Poland St. London W1 £1.00 A meeting of the PDS group to discuss the issues in this article will be held on Sat. July 7th at / SO rr2peSpee ers+ ere oe AD * raat’ oe Naeseed Hows= Cvaerored tcmad ¢wo) oN‘OQUN‘HA = Satis <n. ye Bom Hos urxckand ;‘ COmee ¥ e-oeaeNe\culeme)semeke Cw) The wad wr Ptebob ly jos eleqekee ERO MOK, houren P ger po Decauna eo Comm0rle ifyou Aare ay p 1! See nlaMela~ | “ )prpf afee Crrafa~;| +hefrertuceolnyet dian. 'ofh,oe ber shail nor empro iy 15 Of Statutory appr ' BRYAN HARRY RidFERSON. TASSac EL oe member shall not take scouts Pucement to shaw favour to anv denmMeNnd oF allow # Peice or product in der shall not carry ¢ company. . Pies authority. respo whom he isprofessin nee ~ s ciate 26 Amember wll 5 » sup sr ns . wate Ober * OfSEra genera with. Crawal of the labour of members without first tax, @ Datiot vote of 9 4 central government department. a foal authorrty, he whove of ine Mmambershio and two-tnirds of the vosca cast berg Public board or corporation or Comenercial firm or cOMoaNy shait in favour in the event of the necessary majority of voles be arrange win hes emplover that ine Susiness of that body so far as Obtained for strike achon, Ihe Execute Commitioe shail be tuiry Lrelates19architecture*SConductedinConformitywithtreCose authorisedtogwemeNecessarystnkeMOlCeOnDehsifofati Members concemed Ths procedure Sra atso apply in the Case of @ NOCh-Out by the employers as regards rejusas 0 accept their A marmber who is unable to ensure tratthe business of ms SMBIOVEr FS $0 Conducted shall furnish the RIBA with awnten decharanon of the facts ‘ f i si lermy 6.30 tuesday5 june PCL. 104-108 bolsover st-W/1, Rules : ——— 2.1 Armember shatt Not have such -Pe via exhibition -bar- refreshments | 5~ Sponsored by London branch of TASS Building Design Staff 25 Amembdor snail nor actin disregard of the Professional ablaarons OF Quahficatons of INE from who CEWVeS OF f0 Whom he months on arrears Deett snail rez @oniteciural business of 8nv body corporate or un NCOfoorate ime Seyord the terms iaig tne Executive Commit. .' The problems facing the building industry, both Shorter-term and Structural, have Produced a wide ranging and heated debate over recent years. At one stage, with the Iabour Party in office, the Partial nationalisation of the industry &long lines Proposed in Building Britain's Ratioren becdme & distinct POSSivility. The recent election of a Tory government, however, with their firm committment to monetarism aay ees his article Will take the form of @ review of Building Sritain's Future from the architect's Specific position Within the construction process. It will look &t changes in the organisation of the industry that &re necessary for the development of the New Architecture Movement's &im of a fully enterprise, has radically altereg this situation: CABIN has &ccountable ang democratic architectural Service. ie Suilding Britain's Future - Iabour's Policy on Construction. Ihe Labour Party. October 1977. 2. The Campaign Against Building Industry Nationelisation. This w&s the campaigning body set up by the contractors! organisations in opposition to Labour's Proposals. ( See 'Slate' no.g ) [HE NEED FoR CHANGE : construction Process, both to extend cooperation and understanding Within the industry and to increase Popular control over the design and Construction. The Toots of this split are complex, but for the last 150 years or So it has been a central element of 4rchitectural practice. It is a division of interests that has Produced, and is in turn reinforced by, the legal forms that govern Working relationships: it is inherent in the Contracting System. The effects of this division &nd the Problems it causes are obvious, as an R.I.B.A. official quoted in 5 Building Britain's Future has stated: is the Signal for the battle between the various parties - contractors, Su0-contractors, Suppliers and the various Professionals-— to commence, a battle which soon develops into a continuous tactical game of catch-as—catch-can, €&nd hard luck on the one left holding the baby when the music stops." There is an ODvious need to find ways in which this OppoSition and mistrust can be overcome, to create 4 relationship of cooperation between architects and Duilding Workers, where o- Building Britain's Future. p. 20, e@ch other's skills &nd abilities are recognised and can be creatively developed. A move in this direction requires not only @ change away from the contracting system and the conflict of interests it Produces, but also a Conscious effort to break down the dam& ging ideological divide between Professional and manual workers. This Process can be started OY Support for existing union Camp&igns around health and safety, unemployment, the lump, defence of direct labour, ina&dequate training and all the other problems Which not only affect Duilding workers, but also the Quality of the built environment and the Potential for constructive relationships between builder and architect. Cooperation can then begin to be built on the basis of common interest as workers in the construction industry. The section above has Srgued for changes Which start to increase democracy and Cooperation within the industry; of equal importance however, are attempts to make the industry as & whole more &ccountaple to the people who have to live in and With its products. Greater control is required over cost and Quality of Work. The problems and inefficiences of competitive tendering hawe been descrived very clearly in the document "Building with Direct Tabaueien They are also recognised by the Iabour Party: "... constant competition for each &nd every contract on the Sole basis of lowest tender price has not brought to the surface the most efficient contractor, or the best employer, but the 4. Building with Direct Iabour - Iocal authority building and the crisis in the construction industry. D.L. Collective. 1978 had TM effectively exploit Peculiarities of the market or the weakness of other Participants in the construction pidoestane; his SyStem, far from 8iving value for money, can often have disasterous effects on cost, quality and Subsequent m&intenance, especially for local authorities, During the Speculative boom Contractors to take on Work. When work is in short supply, on the other hand, competition for Public sector Contracts is fierce, and Contractors, having put in low original tender Prices, are often forced to cut corners: the resulting claims, skimped Work, bankruptcies and &SsSociated Problems al] push 4p costs and reduce quality. Although exaggerated during Periods of rapid expansion or depression, Poor quality ana high cost work are permanent features of a construction industry Organised around the contracting System. The result of al] this is that the Public Sector, which Commissions about a half of all building work in this country, has little real control over the cost and quality of work Produced, and it is the Public, Who pay for ang use the buildings, who Suffer the Consequences, o. Building sritain's Future. p.14 overall system of economic 4nd industrial planning. must be the development The most important aspect of control over the industry, of user control over the built environment, particularly at the local level. This requires not only a radical transformation Within &nd development It is on the the industry basis as a whole of these criteria - democratisation { of accountability | however, especially for architects, of existing architectural Services, but also a closer and longer term Cooperation between architects and builders; a cooperation Whereby links can be fostered between the entire building team and local tenants @roups and Community associations. From this a dialogue and understanding may develop, giving rise ® to @ quality and flexibility of work that is sensitive and responsive to local peculiarities ang the needs of the user. and popular control over the industry - and the implications they hold for architectural practice, that the Proposals contained in Building Britain's Future should be &nalysed, e, eee ee a enea eesMe Sew Process." THE LABOUR PARTY'S APPROACH : The severe recession facing the building industry has been 4 major factor Stimulating deoate; the Labour party's Proposals in Building Britain's Future are both a response to this immediate crisis and an attempt to solve some of the underlying structural Problems of the industry. These Problems, they argue, are vased on the fragmentation of the industry - a fragmentation of construction activity into Separate, finite contracts, and of construction organisation into numerous contractors, Sud-contractors, design Professionals etc.; reinforcing this fragmentation, and adding further Problems of its own, as outlined above, is the System of competitive tendering. The use, by government, of the construction industry &S &n economic regulator exacerbates this situation &nd makes for an industry characterised by its instability. This instability 4nd uncertainty causes Problems both for the contractors, with resulting large scale inefficiencies, &nd for the workforce, where job insecurity and lump la@oour make unionisation difficult, Siving rise to bad working conditions, appalling health and safety precautions and insufficient training. The extent of these defects and their complex inter- Connection lead the Iabour Party to conclude that: "None of them can be tackled in isolation; each makes sense only in the context of the others, and only a comprehensive &pproach can solve them. taken together they add Up, in our view toanSeeeecaseforradicalchangesintheconstruction 6. Building Britain's Future. p.20 De neEe >a C.I.M.B. o. Staoility of Work: Lo provide a stable flow of work industry, both terms of contractual of forward planning of a proportion the public client of the quantity to the construction and timing of work, and in from in terms proceedures. Systems for It proposes capital programmes, the extension & guarantee These "radical changes" take the form of a series of interventions in the organisation and the structure of the Quilding industry. The following is a Summary of these proposals, under the same Subheadings and in the same order as used in Building Britain's Future. 1. Puolic Spending: An "immediate and substantial" increase in public spending on construction is needed. 2. Working Conditions: By the registration of all employers and employees under the Construction Industry Manpower Board (C.I.M.B.) Standards of working conditions would be imposed on employers, JOD opportunities and manpower coordinated, 4 national apprentice training scheme established and trade union membership encouraged among registered employees. A levy on employers would provide fallback pay to all temporarily unemployed building workers registered under the C.I.M.B. In addition to this, a Code of Construction Site Practice would be drawn up ".prescribing high standards of safety and welfare 7 provision.". Public sector contracts would be limited to of future construction work against expenditure cuts, and a firms complying with this code and registered with the 7. Building Britain's Future. p.60 Would be ",.managed professionally as municipal enterprises" 8 reserve shelf of future spending programmes to be advanced or put back dependent on €conomic policy requirements. 4 Public Procurement Agency should be set up, based initially on the Property Services Agency of the D.0.E., to coordinate the letting of Public sector Contracts. There should be, in addition to this improved quantity and coordination of work, & move away from competitive tendering towards continuity and serial contracts, with a Code of Conduct laid down by the National Building Agency Covering negotiations between contractors and the Public client. To improve continuity Within the industry there Should be greater standardisation of building plans, Construction details €@nd components. 4. Public Ownership: This Would take three main forms. Firstly, the exp&nsion of direct labour departments, with national and regional Coordination, the right to tender for &ny work in the locality anda greater industrial democracy. These D.L.0.s &nd would operate in competition With private contractors. Secondly, the Setting up of a Publicly owned National Construction oe TEED, ",.basedinitiallyononeormorem&jorcon- tractors"; this Would take the form of a State holding company, Covering & number of different enterprises competing in n&étional and region@l construction markets. As with D.L.0.s, increased industrial democracy would be a feature of these enterprises, Thirdly, workers'cooperatives Would be encouraged at a4 local level through an extension of the Industrial 5. Building Britain's Future. p.61 9. Ibid. p.62 Common Ownership Act; these would operate mainly at the level of specialist Sud-contractors. In addition to this expansion of the public Sector, large private contractors should be brought into the Planning agreements System through an oi Planning agreements system. The Forestry Commission should Should ve used to promote the Standardisation of building | components. 6. Organisation: This , this suggests out of the hands of the R.I.B.A. & oody representing the whole industry, such as the Construction Industry Training Board. Recognising present exists between architects between design and construction, integration and as one way of achieving section proposes a closer that architectural education &nd put under the control of should be taken the conflict which at &nd contractors, a statutary Regulatory Board for Contracts, Procedures and Disputes in extension of the 1975 Industry Act. Building Materials: Increased public sector control of Production should be matched by increased control over the Supply of building materials. fo this end, a new state holding company, the Building Materials Corporation (B.M.C.), Should oe established. This would nationalise mineral rights and associated production facilities along with a range of monopoly materials Suppliers, including Pilkingtons, B.P.B. Industries, London brick, and one or more maéjor cement, ceramic tile, concrete roof tile, clay pipe, concrete slab and sanitary equipment manufacturers. Plumbing, heating and ventilation equipment producers Would be brought within the expand and diversify its activities and bulk timber importing consortia should be set up. This public sector involvement SpE rsenna 7 the Construction Industry, with trade union representation, hes been proposed as a means of solving these contractual disputes. In an attempt to secure a better deal for the client, Gesigners and contractors should be legally responsible for any faults in their work that might occur up to ten years after completion; a national indemnity scheme is Proposed to cover this liability. Among ways of ensuring greater client control over cost would be the greater independence of quantity Surveyors from the design team. In addition there are proposals for an independent Source of technical information for designers, possibly provided by the National Building Agency, and for a greater proportion of the industry's work to oe open to design competitions. This summary of the Iapour Party's proposals has been given in the form of a Shopping list, without comment or of the criteria established at the beginning of this article - the extension of democracy and cooperation within the industry, { criticism; its implications will now be examined in the light and the increase of popular control over the industry. CRITICISMS: Although different priorities &nd emphases might be Placed on many of the issues discussed in Building Britain's Future, there is little in the a@ims and intentions with Which to quarrel. A number of the proposals, however, seem to effectively contradict these stated aims and Severely restrict their 1. Contracting: Despite a lucid and coherent exposition of the problems and inefficiences of the contracting system, and particularly of its most common form, competitive tendering, the Proposals do nothing to undermine or replace this system of organisation in the construction industry. Continuity and serial contracts méy temper some of the worst excesses of the contracting systen, but the basic conflicts and divisions will remain. The Public Sector will still have little real control over the quality and cost of work, while public funds will continue to boost private profits, and the conditions will be created for further Widespread corruption. Especially important for architects, the continuation of this system will maintain the division of interests between architect and builder; the Labour Party's expressed desire for closer links between design and construction will not be achieved. Restricted to the private sector, this @pproach might be acceptable, put it also structures the proposals fora greatly expanded public Sector, both in direct labour and in the proposed National Construction Corporation. The advances represented by direct labour, both for the implementation. These will now be examined in greater detail. workforce and the client, have been clearly recognised, and a CRITICISus: 1. Contracting: Despite a lucid and coherent exposition of the problems particularly the proposals and inefficiences of the contracting system, and tendering, of its most do nothing in the construction méy temper but the basic contracts system, remain. The sector will cost of work, profits, and corruption. still have while public of this system architect and will maintain builder; the the division Labour Party's of interests expressed desire closer links achieved. Restricted be acceptable, greatly expanded will not be approach might the proposals both in direct Corporation. by direct labour, the proposed The advances represented both for the common form, to undermine competitive or replace this system of organisation the conditions Especially industry. Continuity some of the worst excesses conflicts and divisions will public little real funds will will be created important for architects, between design to the private out it also structures for a labour and in public sector, National Construction and construction sector, this and serial of the contracting control over the quality continue to boost private for further the continuation between for and widespread implementation. These will now be examined in greater detail. Although different priorities &nd emphases might be Placed on many of the issues discussed in Building Britain's Future, there is little in the a&ims and intentions with which to quarrel. A number of the proposals, however, seem to effectively contradict these stated aims and severely restrict their workforce and the client, have been clearly recognised, and a Significant expansion of D.L.0.s is planned, &llowing both an increase in new construction work undertaken and the right to compete for work with both private firms &nd other public bodies in the locality. For this expansion to take place, the document argues that D.L.0.s must ve "..run. as municipal enterprises, and not purely as local authority service departments." : This is & fundamental Shortcoming in the Iabour Party's Proposals. Some supporters of direct labour argue for competitive tendering on the grounds that it Will prove the efficiency of D.L.0.s against private contractors, but as Building Britain's Future itself contends, the original tender price bears little relation to subsequent cost, efficiency and quality of work. (It ais Worth noting that this form of Sccountability is not only ineffective, but also restrictive, in that the &ccounts of direct labour departments, at present open to public Scrutiny, Would have to become confidential, to avoid the passing on of information to Competitors.) All this is not to deny a need for close control of direct labour accounts but to say that competitive tendering does not provide a suitable basis for this control. Direct Labour departments offer the potential for the creation of locally based, democratically &ccountaple building teams working in close cooperation with both architects and users. The Iabour Party's insistence on their being run 4s "municipal enterprises" denies this potential by reinforcing the contractual 10. Building Britain's Future. p.s9 ll. See, for example, some of the depate in Slate 9, Split between architect and Duilder, and by replacing the concept of building as a service to the community with one in which Profit and loss predominate, with al] the adverse effects this Produces, as argued above, for building Workers, designers and clients. These criticisms can be extended to cover the proposals for 4 National Construction Corporation - Proposals which in themselves tend to five rise to further contradictions. Public Sector intervention On projects of a size and type not applicable to D.L.0.s would seem to be Sensible, and the Suggestion of taking profitable Sectors of the economy into public ownership With substantial internal democracy is & welcome break from past types of nationalisation. However, the relationship of this body, 48 organised at a regional level under the parent holding company, to the expanded D.L.0.s seems extremely unclear and needy of reexamination. The main point of disagreement with the Iabour Party's Proposals, therefore, is the acceptance of the contracting System &@s @ suitable basis for advancing the democratisation of the industry; this will severely restrict many of the professed aims, most importantly the closer integration of peep TT Proposals for greater standardisation through "..standard building plans, simple construction details, and a restricted 12 range of fixtures, fittings and components." are the logical primarily to reduce costs, it is also argued that greater construction and design. ere Standardisation: Outcome of the Labour Party's approach to the industry. Proposed 12. Building Britain's Future. p.352 standardisation will facilitate the introduction of the new contractual arrangements Suggested in the programme. While €conomies in construction are to be welcomed, the infinite variety of built form necessitated by different user needs, Sites,climates and other variables severely restricts €conomies through standardisation: the argument in favour of Standardisation for contractual reorganisation, on the other hand, becomes invalid if, as above, this form of reorganisation is found wanting. Standardisation to reduce unnecessary competition and waste m&y be desirable, but the limitations and restrictions can outweigh the limited financial savings produced. For workers in the industry, both in design and construction, it c@n represent a severe loss of job satisfaction and a sSub- stantial deskilling, at a time when the m@intenance and development of both traditional and new creative skills is essential. Technology should be used not to replace these skills, but to remove the drudgery from work and allow an increase in its creative ana fulfilling content. Equally, standardisation can be restrictive for Duilding users, limiting the possibility of their exercising control over the built environment; "standard plans" hardly seem a Satisfactory way of making buildings responsive to user needs. If we are to produce a colourful, varied, interesting and responsive environment, greater standard- isation, though valuable in some areas of the construction process, is more likely to be a hindrance than & help. o. Independence of the Quantity Surveyor. In another attempt to control costs to the Public client, Building Britain's Future proposes that "Quantity Surveyors rod could.... become technical auditors, employed by the client and 15 independent of the design team." This may well be appropriate to the private sector, but in the Public sector, where the client already employs "in-house" architects and quantity Surveyors, and architects remuneration is not based on fees, greater Separation of the two functions Would only be harmful. Instead, area-based, integrated design (and in the longer term bDuilding) teams should be developed in which all the different technical Specialists, including the quantity surveyor, would work closely together; greater control over both cost &nd quality in this context should fall to the real users at a local level, with Whom this team could establish an Ongoing &nd cooperative 14 relationship. ee core eeeteeel ere lo. Building sritain's Future. p.o6 14. For a further discussion of these ideas see "Community Architecture-— 4& Puolic Design Service ?", @ paper produced by the P.D.S. Group of the New Architecture Movement. zt CONCLUSION: This critique of Building Britain's Future, from the Position of architects in the public Sector, leads to the Suggestion of some ammendments to the Iabour Party's proposals. The most important of these changes is in the &4pproach to direct lapvour. The Iabour Party's committment to the expansion of direct lavour is to pve welcomed, but if a framework is to be Provided in which the Split between design and construction can be mended, this expansion must be on the basis of D.L.0.s &S service departments. In the same way as "in-house" architects departments are Sutomatically allocated the work of, for example, the pvorough they serve, direct labour Ouilding teams should automatically ve allocated the work of that architects department. This would necessitate new forms of cost control and accountability, but Would provide the basis fora regionally devolved and democratic extension of Public ownership. With local authority work asutomatically allocated to locally based direct labour teams, the role of the National Construction Corporation at a regional level would need reexamination. The N.C.C. should primarily be concerned with larger scale work not suitable to D.L.0.s. The same criticisms of contracting apply to the N.C.C. as to direct lébour. iF lhe incorporation of these proposals on direct labour and the N.C.C., along with @ reappraisal of standardisation | &nd cost control, as argued above, would leave little in the ] document with which to disagree. In this form it could both 4 q help the development of a militant, but positive and critical, defence of direct labour against the current attacks of the Conservatives and building contractors, while at the same time providing a longer term programme for radical and pro- gressive change throughout the industry. Public Design Service Group, The New Architecture Movement. 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The Fens mag try and encomeage mere th. thinrock ausathese ak (bufferoo me:matopla Mata on He trewnin Cynthia Cockebuen In fak I hewan’+ read eee Ele ba alee koMaecOteeaesSecasakaceeinergepttsitesghine refered—te preinieus (Mite Pn, tls eee haem le Ghee hasanes atc Sey Loeete : Sons aalhs oe phys a eae ee is (aJe Vue cetieenaleleteGetbecstenettnearthgoesnaebe weet thy He frome fm percha Lethe othe hepa ek uae a, Pe tagtealilosle ~ OE HLS saber sa, 4 na els poner Has» ercsica ake i Dear Friends, Mike Fleetwood Peta Sissons s Tues, 3rd. April, er vices to lanChristie ommun ity DexterWhitfield tion and 31 CLERKENWELL CLOSE The venue for the meeting has now been confirmed - {t will be held on Saturday 28th. April at the Digbeth Civic Hall in the centre of Birmingham. (We will be sending a map nearer the date). The meeting will take Place in Lecture room no. 1, will start at 10.30 am. anc will continue until about 5.30pm, The room wili hold about 100 people, so when we have heard from all the campaigns we have contacted, we may have to limit the number of delegates from any one campaign, To help us finalise these arrangements quickly, we need the following information; 1) The names (or at least numbers) of delegates you wish to send, 2) Approx. time of arrival, and whether you will need accommodation on Friday night. Please state whether delegates are willing to share a room. (Accommodation is being arranged with tenants in the Birmingham area.) 3) Whether you would need to make use of a creche for your children, the latest, (or phone). eee Anti-dampness campaign strategy meeting enants TELOFASeo So please fill in the Slip at the end of this letter and return it by Thurs. April l2th, at So far, we know that delegates will be coming from Glasgow, Edinburgh, South Wales, London, Sandwell, Manchester, and several other areas, We are making every effort to raise funds to help with delegates! travelling expenses, but obviously 1t would be a great help if campaigns could agree to pay their own delegates! expenses. Possible sources of finance might be ea local resource centre or law centre, local charitable trusts, or Council of Voluntary Service etc., or the usual fundraising events. However, if you have any problems raising the cash, let us know and we will tell you how much money we can put in towards your delegates costs. Brief papers are being prepared on the following; 1) Finance - how repairs/renedial work is financed; impact of the possible new Housing legislation. 2) Brief overview - of progress made by campaigns, drawing together common issues and problems, response of councils to demands, the scale of the problem. Types of estate, and kinds of dampness experienced etc, 8) Dampness and health, 2. Best wishes, jen aaa Deiilossee 3) Remedies - what causes anid what can be done about condensation, rising damp and penetrating damp. 5) Joint Action between tenants and DLO_workers,as in Sandwell, W.Bromwich. —— rantsandDLOworkers 4) The construction and contracting System, and the role of Direct Labour Organisations. 6) Historical background = development of council housing, high rise etc., housing cuts, attitudes to council housing, 7) Legal Action - different sorts of legal action, uses and limitations. We will be inviting people with Specialised knowledge - an architect, a public health inspector, a solicitor, and possibly a doctor - to come to the meeting to comment and answer questions on some of these issues. However, the emphasis will be on future Strategies for campaigns, rather than on a detailed discussion of these issues in isolation. Rs We enclose a questionnaire for you to complete and send back to us as soon as possible, to help in the drawing up of the "overview" paper. The questionnaire will also be duplicated and passed on to other delegates at the meeting. This will enable groups to see what the Situation is elsewhere and to contact groups with similar problems. It would be useful if delegates could bring material for an exhibition which will be displayed at the meeting - photos, leaflets, posters, and any surveys/reports which you may have prepared during your campaign, We feel it 1s important for delegates to discuss their contribution to the meeting with their groups beforehand, particularly the success/ problems met by your campaign, and possible future strategy to get your demands met. The meeting 1s being sponsored by UCATT Midland Region, but we are still waiting to hear from other organisations which we have approached for financial support. We look forward to hearing from you shortly. Local Plans Housing Finance SLUS 2Other Reports obtain. : Tequires as 0 Seat N . ven ; clarification or Registered office 9 Qucen Anne's Gate London SW1H 9BY Telephone 01-930 0611 SCAT Publications W y Registered England 1175699 6 March 1979 A pamphlet about tne Uistr..°, action Aree and Subject Plans which local authorities now have to prepare as a meons of try- ing to guide and control change ond development in their areas and as supplements to Structure Plans. It will show how all the important decisions about the use of land and resources within a Local Plan crea are detemined by political and economic forces beyond the control of the local council. It will also in- clude a stage by stage guide to the legal procedure for prepar- ing local plans and an action section suggesting how groups can exploit the procedure to meet some working class demands and to demonstrate the ineffectiveness of loca! planning within a market economy. The pamphlet is being prepared with help from the Southwark Low Project and North Southwark Commun- ity Development Group and wil! draw on the experience of gf in Coventry, Birmingham, Edinburgh, London, Manchester and other creas. (Publication late 1978) movement is finding itself more ye; the national and local press ortunately quick to seize on the sort of controversy obscures fan equally, if not more, important the amount of progress being made ft€rol in Management, design and ithin the movement. This pamphlet will describe the present and proposed systems of local authority housing finance and government controls, and will put housing finance into a wider economic context. It will be produced jointly with an economist atUniversity College, London and will attempt to unravel the complexit- ies of housing finance in as simple and straight forward a way as possible. It will explain where the money comes from, how council housebuilding, improvement, repairs, slum clearance, council mortgages etc are financed and how to use and understand a Housing Revenue Account etc. The pamphlet will show what happens to socialised housing ina capitalist system and how landowners, financiers and build- ers profit. The implications of the kind of policies proposed n the Green Paper on Housing Policy will be examined together with the need for and impact of radical alternatives td the present system. (Publicatior early 1979) As part of the subscription you will receive 2 other reports or pamphlets. These will be EITHER reports or pamphlets publish- ed by SCAT Publications covering issues on which Services to Community Action ond Tenants is currently working eg. the impoct of housing policies on employment in the housing sector, high heating costs and defects in council housing, build-for—sale schemes, OR reports or pamphlets produced by local campaigns and organisations to which Services to Community Action and Tenants has given advice and assist- ance. These local reports or pamphlets will be ones which have national relevance. They are also often difficult to ~ {e SladeWe % The Architects’ Journal DAL LVAIlMamis / ‘ticle this week, OUT OF THE PUBLIC | that much of the process of irk, by force of circumstance and 10 ignore tenants and as Such is i key principles for opening up jociations' contribution to the ibe pleased to receive your in take dictated letters Over x rynA L 7besey 4 \en ® sae VCR ROL, ee $UPke, CLIO ZL { Patrick Hannay Buildings Editor -_ The housing association movement is finding itself more e- If any of the analysis requires clarification or refuting, then we would be pleased to receive your comments. Eve George can take dictated letters over the phone. John Murray Esq NAM PDS Group c/o 5 Milton Avenue London N.6 Dear Mr Murray TM Yo Slate we % :x | fa Td Octobe 1912 A : Se ee ~ 7 an? UV fei, Registered office 9 Queen Anne's Gate London SWLH 9BY Telephone 01-930 0611 Rogistored England 1175699 6 March 1979 and more in the public eye; in its usual way, is unfortunately quick to seize on the financial scandals; this sort of controversy obscures what might be considered an equally, if not more, important issue of debate, namely the amount of progress being made in developing tenant control in management, design and development decisions, within the movement. Roger Barcroft in his article this week, OUT OF THE PUBLIC ‘ EYE (pp 471-487), argues that much of the process of housing associations' work, by force of circumstance and legislation, continues to ignore tenants and as such is a betrayal of one of the key principles for opening up the scope of housing associations' contribution to the housing provision. The Architects’ Journal the national and local press : PAX NVM iy /ithR ROW aaaetaU Cibk yinbheal:tife Yon.5 i J 22910” SEW ’ Dear Friend, The Report of the Alternative Practice Seminar is at last completed. We will keep you informed about the Conference when this has been arranged. The Alternative Practice Organising Group. oo} GoFS GA wet ND ~~! 7 As the seminar decided, this report is intended as a basis for further discussion, and a working group is to be set up to further investigate the issues raised at the seminar. The working group will report back to a Conference to be held at a later date. The first meeting of the working group is at 5.00pm on the 16th March, at the offices of Support, and it is hoped that each group will send a delegate to that meeting. Would you contact Mary Rogers at Support to confirm this. Saturday: 10.00 a.m. : ANN BLISS — BILL HILLIER and JULIENNE HANSON 41.00 p.m.: Lunch break. 2,00 p.m. SHIRLEY ARDNER CLATRE COOPER trained in geography and urban planning,,has worked as a planner and researcher in Britain, Sweden, Puerto Rico and the USA. She is now Associate Professor at the Department of Architecture and Landscape at Berkeley. She will be talking about St. Francis Sq., a case study of an inner city multi-racial housing co-operative in San Francisco, both as researcher and as resident. 4.00 p.m. :Workshops. Women and Buildérs (led by Krystyna Domanska). Women in Housing Co-ops (Seagull\. The St. Francis Sq. Case Study (Claire Cooper). Women and Space (Julienne Hanson, Bill Hillier). ie Women, Space amd Human Evolution (Denise Arnold, Chris Knight). Defining Female (Shirley Ardner). “4 6.00 p.m.: SHOBSRING TREATRE: "HOUSEWORK", WOMEN AND SPACH: Feminist Anthropology, Architecture and Community. Weekend School: March 10-11, 1979. will be looking at present-day housing from the standpoint of her own personal experience as a woman with two young children and as a-social work assistanndtwi,ll talk about whyshehas found:anthropological knowledge concerning women in other cultures relevant. are from the, Bartlett School of Architecture and Planning, researching and teaching on the comparative study of architecture and spatial organization in different cultures, BILL HILLIER will look at the social forces behind changes in urban space which have taken place in the twentieth century. He will suggest a framework for discussing the relationship between the built environment and forms of ‘community. JULIENNE HANSON will sketch an overview of how different societies organize, the relationships between men and women in space, suggesting how the organization of space can be used in weakening or strengthening women's solidarity. : is a social anthropologist at Queen Blizabeth House, Oxford. Her topic will be 'Defining Female'—-the title of a book which she has recently edited, and which was sponsored by the Oxford University Women's Studies Committee. ay SUSAN WALKER JULIENNE HANSON KATE YOUNG DENISE’ ARNOLD VAL VENNUSS is an archaeologist at one of the major London museums, participating in the preparation of an exhibition on everyday life in classical antiquity. She will be looking at women and physical space in antiquity, both in ceremonial and domestic life. will talk on developments in housing forms since the nineteenth century. She will be looking at life in traditional urban streets and in their modern counterparts:-—high-density, high-rise estates and low-density, low-rise suburbs—-and will be examining the consequences for women's solidarity of these different kinds of urban locality. is from the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex University, and is a social anthropologist. She will say a few words on the effects --which the, installation of piped water had on women's social life in ‘a village.in Mexico in which she did her field-work. is a practising architect, and will look at the influence of design “guides in reinforcing the privatisation of the nuclear family and the isolation and oppression of women within the context of mass housing. chairs the Housing Committee of the Islington (Labour) Council, and has been an active campaigner for working-class women's rights for a number of years. She will be discussing the practical problems aifficulties which she has faced both inside and outside the council as planning and architectural policies have changed within the area in recent times. : : PEGGY BEAGLE and as a N.U.P.E. shop-steward and women's representative on Greenwich Trades Council. She will say a few words on What kind of housing 1 | like to see", particularly in the. light of her experience living in a 30 year-old 8-storey block of flats. 4.00 p.m.: Lunch break. 2,00 p.m. Gh iD) 1S) BE Oa . Design Workshop (Anne Thorne). 2.30: Workshops. ; Housing since the nineteenth century (Julienne Hanson). The political struggle for good housing (Val Venness). Cuba: community, buildings, living and working spaces (Dr. Mo Mowlan) . an History and women's spaces (Susan Walker). a House as an image of self-psychological perception (Claire Cooper). Design Guides, CcO-OpS, creches, society co-operative dwellings (Sarah Stron We fine ; S eee AAUSWN [ Se 453 Discussion. . |Z Steff 8 Bruce Dirne Gree , Fie pe faoocteie “ Le uel bic. 8 ae PIS fo (afro + 2/70 fof. |Coo haAe|TO|SLeblig Feta i. <—fA fa G Pydtatoyry+Soe fey Growl oben Seok 445 2P? Kamin typrl SDesin Qe? Sup Wallen uc eo) a ayne »et NWAMAMK meeEROYEOveCO-}, oe NA PRS. NERTING S FEB.’79 Presenk:— Ti EES ,SMtne, D.Grea, J R.Ge BSmith,R0ae E.Smivxk chaire R.Genton Gok hie thinutes. I) Matters arising — No, branchofRIBAmeeting €E0discuss “Does ie Koga | |InsGeeoesfreiews~a1daspimmGousBe icine “whl Gtke m Apc 3rc. R. Gres NAM Femunise and P. groups asill akeend. RG ovAon eo f < paste , f , ( fies lopics 7 discussion — rina dHes Co-cperaGve prac&ce. ® Pre nad he user Shave CARs |ORLEEEAE. 4) Jace wasa discussion omideas about GlacaGon. Sees gees Wh aViewGarepo’ciAy i qhe influcnze the our Party's pokice on Consoickion. Tech oe Oeslumpas AoeKeenas€iCvauemc / anh 4 NexeMocking—BNET ab19MousfietdRd,Nos; D oiscussion of haw Coe Should be ; ured, Mak Freeson «sith allocat&eos Communicy A rchiteckure. Communé: Arhitedoue-a RDS?” report b be sone & ( ® AcsRilhi of pave Mma peomanent basis. Ae he Same Gre, here isan i. cal alla om Direct bubou; hin has -ernen ES “Iau IRED “Building Britains Facure? We cmside- DLO's must he senize Acparemenés, So an | bo exbad accountability. 3 Mmarch_ i VAPayerFockwascmaucted,ithicinclJ.uMditechedlls Liasm Group xprnsco. (Sadaat 4.220 “am lfc in he Kitty. nen A —ceilingof £e-so) c ere | te TM i 1, 2, 3» Notes On Nationalisation Of The Building Industry for P.D.G. Meeting 3/2/79. The State Of The Industry. a, the present crisis, 1, unemployment and it's associated problems, 2, inefficiency of idle plant and -rundowns, 3, effects onll-A.'s (attacks on D.L.0.'s, low tenders etc), many people believe that all that is ‘needed is more work but there is a need for fundamental changes in the industry and now is the time to make them. b, underlying problems, 1, tragnentation a, in discontinuity of contracts, bd, in splits within the industry, 2, the use of the industry 4S an economic regulator, 3, the competitive tendering system, these lead to instability and insecurity affecting, The L.P.'s Reasons For Intervention In The Industry. a, economic influence over the industry, 1, for internal efficiency, challenge the monopolie's and oligopolie's although not for bankruptcy reason's, 2, to tie industry into overall economic planning, b, the desire to control profit's generated from public fund's, c, to improve working and safety condition's. 1, firms and employees, job insecurity etc., 2, client's and user's, lack of control over cost and quality of work and extra work and bureaucracy. The L.P.'s Mean's Of Intervention. they see the need for diversity and flexibility of approach and the need for accountability. their main proposals are; A National Construction Corporation based on one or more major contractors, A Public Procurement Agency to co-ordinate the industry's work load, The registration of employees and employers under the Construction Industry Manning BOard, with restriction's of work to those registered, The reform and expansion of D.L.0.'s, changing them from service to trading department's, The encouragement of Co-Op's under 2 Co-Op developement agency, especially for small and specialist firm's, The acouisition of major material's producer's under a Building Material'’s Corporation, A @ode of Construction Site Practice to be drawn uD, Programme, serial and continuity contracts to be encouraged, they alsm recommend changes in the organisation of the building profession's; The integration of design and construction, Professional education to be under the Construction Industry Training Board, Greater standardisation of design's and component's, Greater cost control with more independance for Q.S.'S, More responsibilities for defective design, all these are seen within the context of competition and the tendering system. oe they state that competitive tendering problem's, to firm's which are =the N.C.C. to be an umbrella almost incidentally nationalised in normal with standard building firm's and D.-L.0.'s, but don't challenge it at all, b, standardisation of plan's, contract size, competition is of insignificant importance compared to a regulated work load and it limit's user -economic consideration's completley ce, architect's and Q.S.'s need to be integrated same design team, all under democratic etc. (in for moving service possible?) department's The political competition limitation's of an d them need extensive tackle large scale work, between design and (for all as regionally football encouraging argument enforcing not? the L.P.'S the 4, The P.D.G.'s Reason's For Intervention. democratisation a,within; 1, break down division's build, = 2, improve working condition's, industrial democracy and safety, by, over; 1, accountability and greater control over quality and cost, | 2, national and local control, planning, theee require more stability and increased efficiency as argued by the Labour Party. 5, The Limitation's Of The L.P."s Proposal's. a, all their proposal’'s are within the competitive tendering system; —D.L.0.'s to be trading department's which duplicates the is wasteful etc. component's etc. the need both designer and overide social, into the controle for 6, Proposal' s. expanded I.Mi/D.G. 1/2/79- as work where ownership. although way's way's to reform ilding industry. Tentative Outline a, DeL.0.'s to be Local Authority devolved public isn't applicable of D.L.-0.'s and investigation, bd, a limited N.C.C. to civil engineering with the exception of the proposal's provide a basis democratisation of the bu or above toward's motorway'S, 3, PDS Commnity architecture Keporc — tty ae ; ; ' i | t | i fhe next meeting is on 3:rd Feb 11-59 118 Mansfield Ra. Nott. more capies of the report are to v2 sent ty relevant T.U's selected journalists, the National Tenants Aszcciation, and political pazties. The paper is selling well. Furtker action is awaiting Freeson's response. 4, Programme of work Develop ment of theory and history,the J.M's Nationalisation, J.Mitchell ana b.Green County Councils difficulties Rafael Wakesburg Education discv ssion paper Bob Gordon Standards discussion paper Brice Smith Feminists link Dave Green also, Contracts Tom Bulley preliminary work on thesg to be done for the relevant meeting im the prcsramme bdelow. Ideas on talks and ways of presentatign fromm everyone the next meeting. : 7 D+ Programme of meetings '79. 2, 3xd Feb, nationalisation and ideas on taiks. dy 24th Fev, education 4, ifth Mazxch, meetinz with feminicts,Tom Bulley on to contr=cts history, alternative agate for feminists tt 6, 28th Apetl general. review and standards i} ‘| alli meetings in nottingham except the feminist oné in Lendon ‘| 5, 7th April theory anda the kitty now stanas at £1.70 ;| ; | ' LJ PDS GROUP MEETING 20th JAN 79 MINUDRS. ( Pave G ter, ) : *1, Liasion Group Report ay the L.G. has agreed to tenay 211 debts to the PDG, £79 has deen received, £60 will follow. b, the L.G. asked if Wwe wanted to speak at the Notts and Derby RIBA meeting on April 3jrd- It was considered a Possibility depending on a, the debates title b, & neutral chair. Z c, JeMurray is to be the PDG press contact. GQ, our Slate contact bersan is Andy Brawn, Slate 114 will be e, £, &» on the inner city etce, submission ¢«ate 24th Feb. NAM events_ feminist group seminar ‘Women and Space’ 10th Mar Alt. Practice seminar in May (we're te be invited). the LG. Suggested that we have local meetings with tenants Groups etc. to be investigated. Suggestions for union contact between NALGO and BDS Tass to David Burney, 2, RIBA Cawg report J.Mitchell has done areport far Slate, criticising the RIBA's motives whilst admitting the need for Some short term measures (that we up to now haven't deeply considered) .The school's were thought ta offer a. good alternative, their present activities should be encouraged and develicped. The incorporation of architects into aw Centree needs considering. The basic ‘reovriremert is that these effort: should not gct ruined by the neecs of profit etc. alk starr involved should be saillaried. ; NEW. ARCHITECTURE David Basnett, General Secretary, Workers Union, General and Municipal Thorne House, Ruxley Ridge, Claygate, Esher, Surrey. Enc. MOVEMENT i 9, POLAND St,LONDON. W1V3DG. Daytime tel: OI-888-1212 Your ref: RES/DG/SMC 5th January, 1979. A copy of your letter of 8th November 1978 has been forwarded to me by the NAM Liaison Group. The creation of links between user and architect, leading to the control of design by the user 4s the most important aspect of the policy of the New Architecture Movement in general and of our Group (Public Design Group) in particular. Consequently we were pleased to receive your letter advocating that your members and other trade unionists, as consumers of the product should be involved in the specification and planning of buildings. We also suggest that those workers who construct and service buildings should similarly be involved. No doubt many of your members Would belong to this category as well. We therefore would give every support to your proposal for the practice of closer liaison between user and architect. Dear David Basnett, I enclose for your information a copy of our report “Community Architecture = A Public Design Service?” which we submitted recently to Reg Freeson. I attach also a brief summary of NAM's and our Group's activities. For our part we would welcome the opportunity to discuss with you in greater detail, both your ideas for user/ architect collaboration and your reaction to the proposals contained 4n our Report. Yours sincerely, \(e ,Maman John Murray for Public Design Group. NAM cc. NAM Liaison Group. emer rer romer tO Warburt ear Sirs, National Industrial Officers ena RES /DG/SML Yours faithfully, {) .is Vivg2S (VV DAVID BASNETT General Secretary = Incorporating MATSA General and Municipal Vorkers’ Union 8th November, 1978 I am writing to enquire whether you give any support to » idea that the people who consume the products of your profession S..uld be involved in their specification and planning. We have had a great deal of evidence from our members in the past to show that health, safety and welfare have not been effectively included in the design specifications for new buildings, and that the views ; of eventual users are frequently excluded from the consultative stages. As part of our effort to eliminate hazards at source we are advising our members that they should be involved at the earliest stages of planning alterations to existing premises or of construct- ing new ones, You may know that the new Safety Representative and Safety Committee Regulations 1978 oblige employers to provide safety representatives with information about "the plans" and their "proposed changes" insofar as they affect health and safety. New Architecture Movement, 9 Poland Street, London W1V 3DG I am sure that many architects would welcome closer liaison between themselves and users of their designs, and the article regarding an order office at BOC Crawley in yesterdays Guardian (7th November - Women's Page, Peter Gorb) illustrates the general point we are making, We would like your comments on this, and in particular any Support that you can give to the practice of closer liaison between user and architect. We realise that the extent and nature of liaison will have to be agreed between the architect's client and eventual users, but if we knew that architects would welcome this idea it would assist in it's general adoption. I enclose a copy of the Guardian article for your information. FA Baker CBE W.J.C Biggin F Cooper FW Cottam C.Donnet FEarl J.Edmonds E.P Newall MW. Reed JP RSmith Patricia Turner D Warburtor but to creative al authorities whose i Wriefs demand rence to Standards, rihy in themselves ually inhibiting fike multiple retailers 3oa ceees 6 i aa a or orewers. But unless build- ing itself is their business, even the most dynamic Organisations are unlikely-to need new factories or offices very often. Their skills in briefing architects are bound to grow rusty. Indeed, they national theatre. The build- ing does look good from the top of an Embankment bus; al right if you prefar looking often commit millions toe architecture with an insow! ciance which is totally incon- Sistent with their usual hard- nosed control of their money, and which scares their arohi- tect rigid. deliberately unconstrained by uP ratlony: recently In this state of mind the architect needs a_ well- developed ego to draw a bow at a venture — choosing from and copying existing models is easier, and proba- bly cheaper. But when the dDuilding has no models he is forced to thrash around for a brief, and too often designs to a set of generalised social and aesthetic considerations; h means designing: to please other architects. Unfortunately he js encouraged this way, because the accolades (like those given to many professionals). @re awarded by his own kind — other architects. . The National Theatre is a case in point. A large, expen- Sive, oneoff building, it has heen awarded a major archi- going, « . ee Brian Boylan, an architect esigned an’ order office in CraWley, Surrey, for BOC, the company that’ supplies gas cylinders for.welding. He too by Ww it is the policy of the National to attract a higher than usual proportion of first-time theatre goers. For newcomers to the National, in Studying the wild life in the wood which bordered the site. There was no reason why the new building should not be set on the wood edge with windows, and _ bird tables designed’ to accom- modate this interest. = = Don McPhee... . _ deplore Ahad a generalised brief but luckily he discovered that the bullding was to be used for onl 2 ‘people. So he and his ‘team talked to all of them, and at some length: not,their:representatives, or thejr. managers, hut each and €very person. The’ brief, in consequence, was uniquely enriched and -particularised. Kor ‘example, .they dis- covered that for some years the; loaders, in -the rest, ériods between humping eavy gas cylinders, had ef tecture. Most of the time easier to copy something which can be good or al, depending on the mudel. Nur is the poor architect ich) betler off with his cor- * clients. The best usually cume from who build little and ee architect is only Peter Gorb the building inside and out is a bewildering obstacle course of apparently unrelated levels reached dy Alice in Wonderland stair- cases pointing away from. where they are supposed to’ QO Sivan Team vaeans The discreetly - obscure signs, the carefully hidden ticket collection and informa- tion points under claustro- phobically low ceilings com-’ ‘pound the visual confusion. To this is added the inescapa- ble cacophony of the foyer performers and the airline terminal announcements. The oor first-time ‘visitor must ong for the certitude of Pad- dington Station. or Milan’ Cathedral, large buildings designed with the needs of strained and much more useable space. There are many other details which a sympathetic company, its interested employees, and a -conse- fall out with your architect. Oi Law 1K: ;Ons Whatyoucandoifyoutr—ytheBOCoffatiCrcaweley ashis brief An piper as es | quently, well-briefed architect have managed to incorporate into this satisfying building. It may not win any architec- tural prizes, but it is an tectural prize. Had the users been the judges “this elegant concrete addition to London's riverside skyline’ would cer- tainly have got the wooden Spoon. ° Actors and their audiences are its.main users. The actors the time lag of response’ in:the Olivier audi- torium where the design con- centrated on sight lines at the expense of the essential rapport between audience and actors. They describe the “Wimbledon” effect in the Lyttelton, -with a stage so wide in relation to ‘aud torium depth, that the audiences are vigorously exercising their neck muscles to follow the action. Averting their eyes from the inert back stage technology, they the newcomer in mind. will take you to the tiny con- crete cells that serve as dressing rooms, set round a courtyard so large that a visit to a colleague turns into a route march, It is disappointing too, (2 queue for a drink, and dis cover that the nearest sand- wich is two foyer levels and another queue away, ‘Or to try and reach the terrace tables with a trayful of food ‘developed a serious. interest The actors’ complaints are interminable; the audiences through an inward opening are less articulate. After all door. Not that you can sée much more than concrete from the terraces anyway. Of course the priority in the design brief was for a national monument mot 4: opject lesson on how not to © ALL dail out with our hitects. It isnt their fault. se ollier designers (hey are »better than their brief; Having created a glass-clad building the architect had to protect it from the gas uch ts usually abysmal. le trouble is that so few lis are competent ¢o brief anclutect ‘ lake houses, Most of’ us suld claim familiarity with fiouse or two. But how of us have actually But perhaps the greatest breakthrough came at the organisational level. The expectation of local manage- ment was for a traditional e, and have tried to y experience a ign brief ? Remember “Mr Dream and how poor Mrs dings added a flower building which reflected functional separation; offices from canteens, blue collar from white collar workers, and so forth: The inquiry revealed that the magnificent twenty seven didn't want it that way. As a result every- thing (except the lavatories) happens in one open uncon- uk io her porch and got bill for extras for $10,000? yway, most house Ouildin by speculative builders a -at,townscapes to -theatre- cylinders which. have a habit of toppling over; prison like guard rails were discarded in favour of a sloping bank of @tass which in any case enhanced the rural nature of the building. 374 The Architects’ Journal 30 August 1978 In the Netherlands many architects working on low income housing projects for the inner city are effectively appointed and controlled by the communities for which they are designing. At a time when the RIBA’s Community Architecture Working Group (CAWG) is attempting to formulate a new system for funding community projects in Britain (AJ 23.8.78 p356), the recent experience in the Netherlands has particular significance. Itcould well provide a pointer for the ,uture here. NICK WATES reports. ‘Neighbourhood groups choose their own architects’ asserted one young Netherlands architect, and although oversimplified, this statement is not far from the truth. The Dutch have de- viJ}+d aform ofarchitectural practice which gives ordinary citizens in inner cities a great deal more direct control over their architects, and it is already producing very interesting results. The most sophisticated system has de- veloped in Rotterdam. Eleven areas have special project teams in which half the members are officials and half are citizens appointed by neighbourhood groups. The officials come from the Departments of Town Development, Housing, Building and Housing Inspec- tion, Traffic and Transport and Social Affairs. Project groups have their own budget, and buildings located in the area concerned. They are responsible for drawing up plans for neighbourhoods and then implementing them. Proposais and finance have of course to be ranted bees he municipal council and central £ —ament,butwithincertainfinancial toshowphaseddevelopmentinthearea. Right: Window poster ‘This flat to be renovated’, limits the project groups effectively determine development. Architects are appointed by pro Oups, usuall ie intensive interview essions at which previous work 1s shown and working methods described. Project groups then write briefs and act as clients throughout the building pro- cess. Usually a number of architects are employed on different schemes in any area, and altogether some 20 practices of varying sizes are doing this kind of work in Rotterdam. Most architects are from private practices (the private sector con- tains a higher proportion of the pro- fession than in England), although it is possible for architects from the public sector to be seconded, returning to their former posts on completion of a project. Official members of the project team are paid civil servants, though each team also has an ‘external expert’, appointed and controlled by the neigh- bourhood group, but whose salary is paid by the municipality. fo audition there_is__a__local ombudsman service team (LOS), which consists of seven professionals sub- Sidised by the government but independentadvicetoactio upsand oe aeigourhood Broups which want it. This kind of neighbourhood controlled client body has had a marked effect on the architects. ‘We try to work with the people’ said architect Piet Bennehey who has designed buildings for several projects. “You have to explain how you do things.’ The first thing he does wnen appointed for a scheme is to hire a bus and take neighbourhood inhabitants aeoe tld WN ec BeLoshed r ny 1Trenty-eightnewdivellingsinCool project area, central Rotterdam. 4 ps pt ats "2 oo peas errr Pree2 2 Series of drawings published in the Oude Westen project team’s broadsheet wave : 3Lowincomehousing onsiteofaformership-butldingyard,Simmonsterrein,Rotterdam. Neighbourhood orgamsation, BOF; architect, Henk van Schagen. Netherlandsneighbourhood architects “LISSW a0 ’4 € p) W278C34d DHL n ~VALNZD ,SIVLS_W227 BRLealsahore to see other schemes both in Rotterdam and in other cities. ‘They get an idea of what ispossible and what isnot possible’ he explained. ‘Otherwise people don’t know what you are talking about. We also learn what they like and whar they don’t like.” The end product of such a process of direct democracy secms to be far more sensitive developments. For instance the Oude Westen district close to the centre of Rotterdam, which contains about 5000 low income residents of mixed nationality, was first destined for office and commercial development. Active neighbourhood groups stopped those plans and a combined programme of rehabilitation and rebuild is now well under way. New schemes maintain old street patterns, and shops and work- shops and community buildings are . incorporated into new buildings. Build- ing work is carefully programmed so that there is always somewhere for people to move to when houses are demolished or renovated, 2. Bush emt is stdoy 5 Erected ona half-completed dual carriageway, this new low income housing signifies the victory of a neighbourhood group's vision of the future over that of the city planners. Van Eyck & Bosch. portance in other cities, where the system ismuch more adhoc. In Amsterdam for instance some neigh- bourhood groups are able to choose their architects—not because there is any recognised procedure but because the city authority has discovered that it is the only way to avoid conflicts which have in the past resulted in large scale physical confrontations between citizens and armed police with many injuries, arrests and much political em- barrassment. As architect Hans Borkent pointed out ‘It is not by accident that the most active neighbourhoods have the best architects’. He himself was selected by a neighbour- hood group in Dapperbuurt, a nine- teenth century area of Amsterdam, originally to be torn down under a grandiose redevelopment plan. He holds mectings in the neighbourhood every three weeks to which everyone in the area is invited although inevitably only a small proportion actually attend._Un- like England, the housing authorities, whether municipalities or housing: associations, appear to be capable of designating tenants (both from the neighbourhood and from outside) for new schemes before design work starts. (Borkent admits that it was quite a battle to get them to doso,)_ A full scale mock up of one flat was constructed in an old synagogue and everyone visited it and discussed it. Separate meetings were held with tradesmen, to discuss how to incorporate them in the new scheme, and temporary buildings were provided ifthere was any lume gap between the old buildings ‘being demolished and new ones con- Structed. Once again the result has been a phased sensitive new development which above al is well liked and cared for by the new inhabitants, 4, 6. Amsterdam is illustrative of the process 4 Communal roof terrace, Dapperbuurt, Amsterdam. Architect, Hans Borkent. All flats also have private bcicomes. Inevitably the population in these high density areas is reduced but this has not proved to be a probiem for there are al- ways some people who want to move out of the area altogether. In any case neighbourhood groups invariably want higher densities than planners. Of course the community cannot totally control the development. Investment and subsidies are restricted and con- trolled in much the same way as in England. But within these parameters, project groups can adjust levels of quality thereby influencing rent levels. Indeed rent levels are a major concern for neighbourhood groups, and on one occasion, an architect was sacked by a group for refusing to lower the quality of his design and hence future rents. Architects have an interest in working for active neighbourhood groups be- cause the strength of the group is crucial in forcing extra subsidy money out of the government, through political campaigning. Amsterdam more improvised The political strength of the neighbour- hoodgroupsisofevenmorecrucialim- fullscalemock-upofanewflatfortheDapperbuurtscheme. The Architects’ Journal 30 August 1978 375 7 Architect Hans Borkent (taking notes in the centre) showing future inhabitants round a rd | f id , \) A powerful they are”. A lot of this money is invested on the Stock Exchange and in Governmont stocks. An increasing proportion is invested in property. So much so that property development is starting again. Take a look around your city. YOUR MONEY is behind those empty office blocks, a) 4 airconditionedshoppingcentres, : luxury hotels, yachting marinas and warehouse estates. ARE THESE PRIORITIES YOURS TOO? : A NATIONAL CONFERENCE PENSION FUNDS: YOUR MONEY AND YOUR LIFE see back for details Do you ever wonder what happens to that money, after its deducted from your pay? Obviously, its your deferred wages, and it will be paid back to you as a pension when you retire. In between, however, your money is put into @ pension fund or insurance company. These institutions are controlled by a small group of fund managers and are responsible to noone, least of all their members. They have become financial giants, and even Harold Wilson admits “they are so power- ful, they do not know how When you retire you can expect a little more on top of your basic pension os @ result of these speculative develop- ments. But ask yourself, what use will this extra money be to you then. Our health service is collapsing, and housing, public transport, education and social services are in crisis through lack of investment NOW. The tragedy is that many workers may dio before they draw their pensions because of the present poor provision of these services, many more are likely to be mado redundant and be unemployed. They will not get much of an extra pension. SST Puetsxe AOA AAR JSOO eae: +ee aes:‘L IS IT YOUR PENSION FUND TOO? There are three types of Pension Fund: PUBLIC SECTOR: this includes the large nationalised industry funds, including the Post Office which, with assets of over £1200 million, is the biggest in Western Europe. PRIVATE SECTOR FUNDS: there are well over 50,000 of these with some very large funds like those of Unilever £400m, of IC] £593m, but many are quite small and are invested with insurance companies LOCAL AUTHORITY PENSION FUNDS These funds are based on Local Authority boundaries. The biggest is the GLC at £235m. TRADE UNION CONTROL The Pension funds have grown because of the struggle for a decent pension and the strength of white collar trade unions but also because in the 70's pensions have not been part of the wage freeze and so have been o subject of negotiation The funds face very few disclosure of information requirements. They are responsible only to their trustees who in most funds are the employers. Only the nationalised industries and a few ‘enlightened’ private companies have trade union representation. In June 1976 the Labour Government produced a white paper “The role of Members in the running of Schemes”, which proposed better disclosure of information requirements and the right of appointment to 50% of the membership of the controlling body of the fund to recognised independant trade unions, the backlash of this proposal from the employers, the CBI and Pension fund managers, not to mention right wing bodies such as Aims for Freedom and Enterprise, was such that the proposals have been quietly dropped. Yet even where trade unions do have representation there is no evidence that this has made any difference to investment strategies apart from disinvestment in South Africa. According to The Economist Intelligence Unit “present evidence from the nationalised industries shows that whenever trade union representatives become trustees, they are just as keen if not more $0 to act in acapitalist fashion” THE INNER CITY ALLIANCE FIGHTS BACK The overall picture of but still intends to press on the Pension Funds is one of with its office venture. Almost “PENSION REPRESENT IMPORTANT PART OF OUR AS WORKS OF ART OR SURPLUS WEALTH AND WE THE BRIGHTON MARINA” ARE CONCERNED THAT IT David CSasnett GMWU, June SHOULD NOT GO ON 1977. surplus funds being used to generate a new property boom. This threatens the homes of people in inner city areas and our heritage of historic buildings in the cities. It does not provide working people with better understand and publicise the living conditions. problems referred to, In FUNDS AN ECONOMIC VALUE SUCH Ptah=|=[= tLe TO. LET One day conference for trade unions and community groups: 20th JANUARY 1979. PENSION FUNDS: YOUR MONEY AND YOUR LIFE at TREFOIL HOUSE PURPOSES OF NO Nr. Holloway Circus La Birmingham re|hd PVsltl) rela 643 0751 IF OUR CITIES ARE TO BE DECENT PLACES IN WHICH TO LIVE, WITH GOOD STANDARDS OF: HEALTH, EDUCATION AND HOUSING, THEN THE TRADE UNIONS MUST TAKE SOME CONTROL OVER WHAT IS BEING DONE WITH THEIR MEMBERS’ MONEY AND DIRECT IT INTO SOCIALLY USEFUL INVESTMENTS. Name . PAGCLOSS c ccsvessecsesoteseccosessnseccrcscners Trade Union/Organisation Fee: £1 per person. Return this form to: Green Ban Action Committee, 35 Chantry Road, Moseley, Birmingham 13 The Green Ban Action this broadsheet, the Inner City Committee's campaign to save Alliance (a national affiliation Birmingham's Victorian Head of Community Action Groups Post Office from demolition fighting for more socially and replacement by a useful urban development) speculative office block, has reached 2 crucial phase. Planning permission, for an alternative leisure centre scheme has been granted. The Postal Board is now prepared to save the original frontage, have asked the Green Ban Action Committee certainly it will turn to one of the Pension Funds or Insurance Companies for the necessary finance. We are campaigning to stop this. In order to fully explore, to arrange @& conference. This is also backed by the South Wales Housing Action Group and UCATT Midlands Region. Dear Iriends, way for such developments. How cal working people have more control over the dizection of money? How can the mosy be used for socially useful production really ncoei? of these vast suns and things we + How can ordinary people develop control over the planning of the cities in which they live? We look forward to hearing from you, Yours sincerely, Va Sc VAL STEVENS. ns ‘gAiS Vow ater 2 45, Chantry Rd., Moseley, Blrminghem, 13 2{th. November 1976 4 BN 2£2 AC Dita Ww r mY WY TW Q x " class communities, whether inuer city sreas or mining communities in the Soug$h ...-z vales valleys. Often too, a citiy's heritage kas to be destroyed to make ! ~ your orgeanis>tion or trade union bulletin, local Councillors or M-P.'s with whom you have contacts, ani your locel trades council. We hope that a wide Vollowing two meetings cf the Innen (ity Allionce, ani oun own goncern over Gily redeveloppent plans in Birminghem, we agave been esked to organise 2 ngtional confercnce on the theme of PENSION FUNDS and their major role in financing property davelopment in our cities. As a vesult of financila institasions investments since 1974 the property narket id picking up Speculative office blocks, luxusy hotels, warehouses estates, shopping centres, are a safe source of orofits but they come into direct conflict with the needs of Ordinary people living in working spectrum of delegates will astend from the Labour movement, and from community associaltions ani environmental sroups. These are the kind of issues which will be debated at the conference. At present there is a lot of talk about the possibilities of directing a proportion 9f the funds'money into industry, but will this really make any ditference to to the way in which they operate? Some Trade Unions are struggling to get some control over investment panels. but will they just end up administering the present system? In the nationalised industries there is no evidence that traie union representation has made much difference to investment policies. THS CONFERENCE aims to reise these issues and to explore ways in which we can begin to change the present situation. Please help us to publicise it in Hore copies of thie letter and the leaflet are available from us (postage cost appreciated) at the above address. Gremln eC: Vo b b a—— CALL FOR EXTRA PROPOSAL TO BE SENT TO REG FREESON. It seems to me that we may well have lost out on our position in the "Community Architecture" problem,in the short term, because we have failed to come to grips with the question of why there is now a call for government subsidies to designers werking in this field. Nick Wates has summarised the problem for us in his review of this year's N.A.M. Congress A.J.15/11/78. In the following extract from the review Nick is trying to give an impression of what the "alternative practice" people felt about our P.D.S. proposals: "It was likely to take years to achieve reforms in the public | sector and until tinat time the private sector experiments } could provide valuable experience, a vehicle for propaganda, and a means of providing working class people with services | they would otherwise be denied," The key phrase in this quotation is the one I have underlined. If we look at the provision of services to the public sector in this country we will find that they are provided in four different ways: by private.enterprise for a profit; by central & local stateas statutary | & discretionary services; and by voluntary effort by individuals or groups on a charitable basis, It is in this last provision that the "alt-— « ernative practice” people are primarily interested, although there is interest in central state sponsored services such as Housing Associations, The main elements of their argument for providing design services to this voluntary sector run as follows, r 4 i | | Most of the voluntary services are formed to fill a gap in the central & local state provision,or to provide a superior service, The lack of a central or local state provision may, for example, be for several reasons.| They both may not have the resources to provide the service and politic- | ians are opposed to providing it. A good example of this opposition might | be sexist poiiticians refusing to provide cash Tor the rehabilitation of houses for local Women's Aid groups. | I think that it is fairly true to say that the usual historic process is that central&local stte politicians eventually take over the idea of the necessity for providing a service, such as Women's Aid, or in the distant past the provision of adequate housing from the charity bodies or philanthropic trusts, The main point, however, of my argument is that there often seems to be a time lag between the voluntary provision of services and the state be- coming involved in that provision. It is this time lag that the "“altern- ative practice" people feel they must organise to operate in, although we should also recognise that they may well believe that the state is never going to be able to operate an adequate service because of bureaucracy, Because the P.D.S. group is unhappy about the profit motive and lack of accountability lying behind "private" and "alternative practice" operat— | ions in the "community architecture" field, I therefore propose the follow: ing: the setting up by central & local state of a subsidised Community Design Service operating from. but senperctely, within local authority architect& departments, The service should be available to all voluntary service groups, except perhaps political parties, and should not be con— trolled by local state politicians, but be accountable directly to Parl- lament through the D.O.E. It is obviously important that design fees should be below the R.I.B.A. mandatory fees but to ensure that the State |does offer adequate subsidy to local authorities to employ sufficient |design staff to cope with the workload, there should be some right of appeal by voluntary service groups if they are kept waiting for the design work to be done, I appreciate that central state control is against P.D.S. theory, but what I am looking for isaTMneutrality" of service which I think will oper- ate better with politicians being in a distant arena rather thata local one. It could be said that generally local politicians are exceptionally touchy about the adequacy of the services they operate in their area, Bruce Smith, Nov.1978 Reg Freeson, MP, House of Commons, Westminster, London SWi. Dear Mr. Freeson, ‘Comunity Architecture’ I work as a member of the ‘Support’ group which provides architectural advice and profeséional range of low income and working class organisations. While my work is within the 'private' independent and rely on fees earned, the proposals of the PDS group, and would strongly oppose ang encouragement to the RIBA proposals which you might give. There is such an enormous immediate demand for the kind of service we offer that we have chosen to work in the private sector, and plan to establish ourselves as a co-operative in the near future. To this end, we have organised a seminar with the Industrial Common Ownership Movement to discuss the problems of professional operative lines. and tenants complaining about defects, we would conclude that Because of our co-operative nature, we have inevitably been asked for advice by a number of co-operative groups, and are currently negotiating with a housing co-op in Brent to provide them with architectural services. From our experience in working with groups opposing local authorities at public enquiries 46 Church Road, Harlesden, London NW10 SPX. 10th. October, 1978. services for a wide sector in the sense that I am I lean towards supporting (ICOM) on 20th. October, incorporating on co; tT understand that you are currently considering proposals from the Royal Institute of British Architects concerning the establishment of a community aid fund. You should also have received a report from the Public Design Service Group of the New Architecture Movement. As an architect in private practice in the field of "community architecture" , I am concerned to ensure that you are aware that a substantial number of young architects like myself do not support the RIBA's proposals. You will see from the enclosed leaflet about ‘Support’ that our work is primarily with tenants, trade union organisations and user groups concerned with community buildings. In a number of cases, we work closely with the local authority involved, and see our role as an "advance guard", an experiment in working closely with local people and users in a way that could easily be followed by the area design teams advocated by the PDS group. there would need to be independent architectural advice services for groups in dispute with local authorities; however, because these would need to adopt a radichl position on professionalism - tather like law centres - there is no way that the RIBA wobld encourage this. The financing of our operation is, of course, problematice We are currently completing an analysis of our time and income and this pointe to the need to obtain grants in addition to our fee income in order to sustain research and advice work. However, we cannot see how a community aid fund as proposed by the RIBA would channel money in the direction of work organised along these lines. There is a strong suspicion that it would be used as bait for more established commercially minded practices who currently find the work we do unprofitable. In considering the CAWG proposals, I think you should look to the appalling record of the RIBA in its failure to encourage social responsibility. The profession has done nothing to raise money itself to support ‘community architecture’, has failed to invest money in research, and now looks to you to help improve its public image, I would hope you can recognise the distinction between the RIBA approach to community architecture - which is to mould community problems to fit into existing pattewns of professional services (therefore égnoring many difficulties) - and the approach of Support and PDS, which is to reform architectural practice to make it more relevant and accountable to ordinary people. I know most of the people involved in the RIBA CAWG personally. I I have talked with Rod Hackney at various stages during his process of building up his successful practice, I was involved in the early and subsequent discussions about ASSIST, and we have worked closely with Chris Whittaker. While I respect their motives, I feel they are placing too much trust in a professional bedy which has no understanding of ‘community problems’ and therefore takes a paternalistic and narrow view of things. I believe that it is necessary to be much more closely in touch with local needs than is the RIBA. I am, for instance, a member of Brent Community Law Centre Committee, and the Brent Federation of Tenants and Residents, and other members of Support have close links with grass roots and trade union organéfations. In this way, we can shape our professional role to meet their needs. From such involvement, I am in no doubt that public opinion of architects and architecture is very low, and the responsibility of the RIBA for this is one of the reasons why 25% of registered architects léke myself refuse to join the RIBA. I would suggest that your response to the RIBA CAWG proposals is to consider a general review of the architectural profession including the need to strengthen the rale of the Architects’ Registration Council of the UK at the expense of the RIBA, the need to improve the availability of professional services to groups like housing co-operatives, and the need to implement proposals along the lines suggested by the PDS group. Renort of Public Design Service Group Backeround: 1977-1978: At its Hull Congress in November 1977, NAM decided to develop further its policies relatinr to the nublic sector. NAM's interest in this field had already teen established at our first Congress in Harrogate, in 1975, when the idea of a National Design Service was nut forward. The National Pesign Service (NDS) proposals, based on 4 a critique of architectural patronage, argued for locally based desicn service directly accountable to local representatives of tenants, residents, councillors, suggested that local authority departments of architecture could provide the basis for such a service. sector. By late 1977 it was considered that a more concentrated programme of research and action was required, and following the Hull Congress an enlarged NDS group were mandated to carry out the work and to arranrce a conference in 1978 to establish the potential support for these ideas. The NDS Groun evolved into the Public Design Service (PDS) group @r: in addition to refinins, its critique of patronage and local authority working arrangements the group has been studying the origins and present role of departments of architecture and their relationship to the profession and private practice. Work has also been done on the narty political context and on an analysis of housing associations. From theories discussed in the group, a series of interim proposals were suggested, which would lead to the denocratisation of departments of architecture and to closer links between users and architects. and trade unionists. It was ~)iscussions on the NDS were continued initially under the auspices of the former North London Group of NAM, and a small issue ; sroup evolved. Further NDS papers stressed the view that since nublic control of finance and land were a prerequisite of any design service which would be available to the majority of people, any long term advance in architectural service to the public could only come through the public The Mav 1978 PDS Conference on Democratic Design endorsed these proposals and also our future programme of research and action. An important feature of this conference was a description by a local authority worker of how joint action by architects and building workers was able to influence and change council building policy. The conference was thus given proof that change from within can be achieved by trade unionists working together. Since May, the reorganisation of departments in two London Borourchs has given the opvortunity for our ideas to be tested in practice. Sunport by staff for some, if not all of our interim proposals was gained at departmental meetings. The final outcome of these taiks is not yet resolved. At the same time the Sheffield PDS group have been discussing the p question of standards in relation to central government financing and local control over resources. While this study is still at an early stare, an introduction to this group's work will be given at the conference. We trust that the participants of the 1978 NAM Congress will find Within the last two months the group has submitted to Reg Freeson, the Minister of Housing and Construction, a report on community architecture, to assist in the investization which he is currently undertaking into this subject. our material of interest and that the Congress will sunport our proposals and future programme. PDS Groun. November 1978, PNS Group Publications: *A National Desinn Service (Papers 2&3; 1976) * Proceedings of Public Desisn Service Conference, May 1978 (includes: "The origins, evolution and structure of local authority denartments of architecture" & "lousing Associations - A Democratic Alternative?") 75p. EAb GS) *Communityv Architecture - A Public Design Service? £1.00 (Institutions -£1,25) j The New Architecture Movement was founded in November 1975 at the llarrogate National Congress, to effectively channel the collective action of architectural and allied workers, in order to bring about radical changes in the practice of architecture. NAM seeks to restore control over their environment to ordinary neople, and social responsibility and accountability to the work of architects. NAM seeks not only to challenge the existing relation- ship of architect to client and user, but also the existing industrial relations between employer and worker, to restore a voice both to those who provide the labour for architecture and to those who use its products. To this end NAM exists as a network of sroups which have over the past three years campaigned on specific issues in pursuit of these agreed aims, programmes for action being formulated from detailed critisues of current practice. In terms of democratic control over architectural practice NAM seeks a lay controlled governing body, ARCUK, which though established as a 'public interest! body, has for its entire existence been controlled by the RIBA, thus effectively regulating oractice in favour of the architectural establishment. NAM's elected oresence on ARCUK Council is growing in line with disenchantment with the RIBA amongst architectural workers. NAM's proposals for a reform of ARCUK are a component of its submission to a covernment sponsored Monopolies Commission into architectural practice which concluded in favour of the NAM case that existing practice constitutes a monopoly operating to the prejudice of the public interest. NAM continues to campaign for the abolition of the RIBA instituted mandatory minimum fee scale which restricts the availability of architectural services to the wealthy, cornorate or bureaucratic. In the belief that the State represents for many the only means of access to resources, NAM proposes a Public Design Service, a reform of public sector practice, deriving from analysis of existing Local Authority devartments. It seeks to establish locally based design and build teams, directly accountable to tenants and users —- the abolition of existing hierarchical arrangements in favour of ynarticinatory democracy at a decentralised local level. In May 1977 NAM's work on the unionisation of architectural workers, an essential component of the democratisation of architectural practice, culminated in the setting un of the Building Design Staff branch within AUEW-TASS. The responsibility and initiative for this work has now passed to the Union. NAM has, since its inception, sought out specific issues around which to campairn in furtherance of its aims. The recent successful formation of a NAM Feminist Groun demonstrates NAM’4s ability to seek out real issues as a focus for concerted action, whilst developing its critique across the whole spectrum of architectural voractice. For further details of NAM, meetings, publications and newsletter, 'Slate', write to: New Architecture Movement, 9 Poland St. London ‘V1. / NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT LONDON / SOUTH dohn Allan A.S. Bagley John Bewimer Andrew Brown a Romilly Rd, N4. 01 359 0491 2 Prince of Wales Rd. NW5 82 Balaclave Rd. Surbiton, Surrey 12 Hill House, Harrington Hill, ES 01 806 1273 NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT 4th. ANNUAL CONGRESS CONTACT LIST Francis Bradshaw 14 Duncan Terrace. Nl Anne Brandon Jones 2 Reddington Rd. N.W.3 7 C. Brandon-Jones 2 Reddington Rd. N.W.3 01 435 429 Tony Brohn 53 Millbrook Rd. S.W.9 01 274 767 8 David Burney 23 Arthur Rd. Kingston-upon-Thames Suurrey ‘ 01 546 5634 Collective Actions Rep. - 175 Hemingford Rd. Nl J.M.G. Cooper REGS GRU BER aRKa Susan Erancis Mark Gimson Noel Glynn Hugo Hinsly Susan Jackson David Jennings Christine Leylandb Caroline Lwin Bob Maltz Neville Morgan John Muuray Robin Nicholson Ken Pearce Giles Pebody Marian Roberts David Roebuck Mary Rogers Barry Shaw ' Douglas Smith Cathy Taggart Ken Thorpe Nick Wates Julia Wilson-Jones Tom Woolley 202a Squires Lane, Finchly. N3 01 346 4100 37/Couleton Rd, N7 Becondale Rd. SE19. 01 761 0332 9:St. Georges Ave. Tufnell Park N7 01 609 2976 8 Cambridge Terrace Mews. Nwl 01 486 7597 13c Crealock St. SW18 01 870 8280 4 Carlisle Rd. Finsbury Rark N4 01 272 3747 4 Hidhshore Rd Peckham SE15 5AA 01 639 8264 32 Balaclave Rd Surbiton Sumrey 38 George St. Wl 01 935 2115 10 Tolmers Sq. Nwl 01 368 1650 14 Holmdale Rd. NW6 O01 794 6437 2nd Fl. Flat, 18 Charlotte St Wl 01 633 8389 (wk) 5 Milton Ave. N6 01 348 8713 5 Richmond Crescent. Nl 01 609 06 08 127 Fairbridge Rd, Holloway N19 0 1 272 0580 48 Sutherlend Sq. SE17 01 703 777 5 4) Roden St. N7 01 609 2065 25 St. Georges Ave. N7 6HB. 01 60 7. 4183 23 Grove Hill Rd SE5 01 733 4896 6 Tolmers Sq. NW1l 17 Delancy St. NW1l 68 Victoria Rd NW6 10 Tolmers Sq. NW1 01 388 1650 MIDLANDS etc. Richard Anderson 9 Stoneygate Ave. Leicester Helen Teague Chris Dent Dave Green Anthony Mercer John Mitchell Adam Purser Rafael Waksberg Richard Wea&herill 21, Beis . “eyworth, Nottingham "" 63 Barnstock, Bretton, Peterborough 0733 6893] x244 14 Derby Greve tTenton, Nottingham 32 )la Marston Rd. Oxford R 82 Kimberly Rd Leicester. 10 Spencer Rd, Belper. 37 Penarth Rise Nottingham. 0602 622034 251 0274 27 Clerberss11 Close ECIR OAt 01 Contact list cont'd NORTH etc Norman Arnold, Dave Breakell Mick Broad George Cameron Chris Cripps A.J. Earl W Halsall Maurice Lyons Jim Scott Bruce Smith 5 Bob Gordon Ian Tod Edward Walker WALES and WEST 9 Midland Rd Leeds 6 Liverpool School of Architecture. 5 Brewlands Ave, Kinneil Bo'ness, Scotland ‘ Ian. Cooper Anne Delaney Tom Foster Janis Goodman P.J. Hayea John Hurley Paul Knowles Gerry Metcalfe Chris Saxon Chris, Shaw John Shepherd Angela Sutton Dave Sucton David TypaRady 123 Malefant St Cathays Cardiff 196 Albany Rd Roath Cardiff 492047 18 Upper Camden Place. Bath BAl 5SHX Laurel's Farm Upper Wraxall Chippenden Wilts. 87 Prestbury Rd Cheltenheam 4 Priory Terrace, Cheltenham 25. Sandhurst Rd. Gloucester 23 Exmouth St. Cheltenham G.C.A.D. - Sth year student. 5 Suffolk Sq. Cheltenham Fieldhead, Amberly, Stroud Gloc. 3 Elsewick,,Tanhouse, 0695 32545 Bo'ness 4811 Skelmersdale WN8 6Bx 42 Ullet Rd, Liverpool 17 051 734 0454 13 Severus Rd, Fenham Newcastle upon Tyne Elat C 15 Croxteth Rd. Mersey side. 051 708 8944 (wk) Liverpool School of Arch. 138 Upper Parliament St. L 8. 42056 (wk) 56 Sunnyvale Rd TOtly Sheffield 363095 25 Market St, Huddersfield. ditto 9 Midland Rd. Leeds 6 783907 15 Briarsdale Croft, Gipton Leeds -&& 655793 205 Arabella St. Poath Cardiff. 23 St. Lukes Rd. Cheltenham Dunedin 1.Western Rd Cheltenham 196 Albany Rd Roath Cardiff. 492047 Susan Barlow Lizzy Brandon-Jones Pete Buchwald Tain Campbell Rosemary Clements 52 Oakfield St Cardiff. 398005 34721 3 Brecknock Rd. Knowle Bristol ditto 18 Uppex Camden Place Bath. 89 Prestbury Rd. 20761 32731 Birmingham May 6 1978 ATTENDANCE LIST NAME Norman Arnold Dave Breakell Tony Brohn Andy Brown Tom Bulley Hugh Byrd Iain Campbell Peter Carter Ian Colquoun Chris Dent Benedicte Foo Bob Gordon Jean Geldhart ADDRESS 9 Midlands Rd, Leeds 6 c/o BUDA 173 Lozells Rd. Bham I9 53 Millbrook Rd. London SW9 I2 Hill House Harrington Hill London E5 146 Rushmore Rd. London E5 45 BeechburnWay Handsworth Wood Bham 20 I96 Albany Rd. Cardiff 6 Passey Rd. Moseley Bham 73 I8 Brookhill Dr. Woollston Nottingham * Ra— 29wal lh Sheffield Shaffuld Ll 235 Kennington Lane London SEII oI- 806 1273 oI- 985 2559 02I- 533474 0222- 492047 02I- 7771019 0602- 282370 OI- 267 1774 274 7722 Ext. 396 if UCATT Convener City Arch, Dept. Sheffield Student Notts. Univ. GLC Student Sheffield Univ. L.B, Tower Hamlets 633 8301 NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT PUBLIC DESIGN SERVICE CONFERENCE T4 Leyfield Ra. Sheffield 44 Grafton Terr, London NW5 ® OI- 703 7775 077- 3824484 oI- 609 2065 ATTENDANCE LIST CONT‘T. NAME Dave Green John Hurley ADDRESS 4 Priory Terr. Cheltenham TEL OCC), J 495072 WORK Site rane Lecturer Chelthm TEL 108 Gaff Wel 45 34S Sproat JohnMitchell seberoy~cuereBE Read|—__| et pero: ¢ Trevor Muir John Murray Richard Myall John Napier Hugh Pearman Giles Pebody Adam Purser Marion Roberts Jim Scott Bruce Smith Douglas Smith OI- 348 8713 Student L.B. Haringey 474 5637 888 I2I2 Uobibogham Nottingham Univ. 5 Milton Ave. London N6 I2 Paton Grove Moseley Bham BI39TG 68 Wragby Rd. Lincoln 5 Gordon Pl. London W8 48 Sutherland Sq. London SEI7 I0 Spencer Rd. Belper Derb yshire 4I Roden St. London N7 Whinney Bank House Wooldale Student Ele Yorks P 7110Rerewrinflea ; o7¢e —j— 56-Sunnyvale-RA. Totley Sheffield I7 Delancey St. London NWI Hy 66 (04| 6742 City Arch. Dept Sheffield | 734261 L.B. Camden - 0242—{ 27801 363095- OI- 388 3369 S+ SofArch. 3Woot Bham City | 02I- Arch. Dept | 2353196 Arch. Cathedral Area Reporter Building Design Private Practice Housing Dept. Derby Private Practice Private Practice oI- 937 7372 ATTENDANCE LIST CONT'D. Mick Broad 5 Brewlands Ave, Kinneil, Bo'ness Scotland 3. NAME Howard Smith ADDRESS TEL WORK TEL Martin Springs ’ 4 Catherine St. London WC2 OI- 836 6251 Reporter *Building’ Val Stevens 77 School Rd. Hall Green Bham 28 Green Ban Action Cttee. Chris Thomas 134 Westfield Rd. M. Topham 43 Milverton Rd. Knowle Solihull Knowle 4oho Regional Richard Thompson IO Longmeadow Rd. Walsall I0 Walsall DCs Arch. Dept|xt. 2160 Nick Wates IO Tolmers Sq. London NwI OI- 388 1650 Reporter AJ I9 Langtree Ashunt Skelmersdale West Lancs District 0695- Kings Heath, Bham 02I- 4432010 Private Practice PEOPLE EXPRESSING INTEREST BUT UNABLE TO ATTEND John Allan Shirley Ashton 67 Romilly Rd. London N4 oI- 359 O491 Private Practice 734 8577 David Bartlett L.B. Islington Arch. Dept Gloucester House Margery St. London WCI Liverpool City Arch. Dept NALGO Staff Committee Blackburn Chambers Dale St. City Arch. Dept L"Pool L*Pool 169 2JG 02I=- 7775726 Council 77177 Health Board AOA Rep. L.B. Islington | 837 4242 27244 930 O6II oI- Ext. I5I PEOPLE EXPRESSING INTEREST BUT UNABLE TO ATTEND CONT 'D NAME Joanna Clelland ADDRESS TEL WORK TEL Mike Goulden Tom Jones 47 Tetherdown Rd. London NIO OI- 883 7222 Peter Luck Steven Mitchell II Nettleton Rd. London SEI4 OI- 639 5569 Student 9352207 Neville Morgan 2nd Floor Flat I8 Charlotte St. London WI ,7 Chainnye | 42UlletRd,LPal : Wicle Tadele 7 Beeclureoel Ave. Macleli. S! Marke Myson 23 Fuller Med order SWB *Foelas* Tanrhin kd. Tregarth Bethesda, Bangor Wales Local Authority 7 Allemund Ct. Bdward St. Derby DEI 3BR OI- 221 5847 Researcher GLC oI- 580 5270 GLC PDS Group May, 1978. Interim Proposals and which create the potential for further change : status to chief architect. i.e. towards a two-tier system. ESTABLISH JOINT WORKING GROUPS WITH DLOS. To consider how to achieve better designed, constructed and To achieve an effective Public Design Service the NAM Public Design Service Group proposes local authority design and build teams which are area based and which will be accountable to users and tenants. We suggest the following interim Proposals which are feasible now DESIGN TEAMS SHOULD BE AREA BASED INSTEAD OF FUNCTION BASED. To increase the potential accountability to local people, and while giving each team a varied work load. AREA DESIGN TEAMS SHOULD BE MULTIDISCIPLINARY AND SHOULD HAVE AROUND 12 MEMBERS AS A SUGGESTED OPTIMUM. JOB ARCHITECTS SHOULD REPORT DIRECTLY TO COMMITTEE. TENANTS AND USERS SHOULD BE PART OF BRIEFING TEAM, AND SHOULD HAVE POWER OF APPROVAL OVER DESIGNS AND STANDARDS. ABOLISH POSTS BETWEEN GROUP LEADER AND CHIEF ARCHITECT. As a preliminary step towards group leaders having equivalent maintained buildings. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived John Murray Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Nov 1978-Nov 1979 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/65e0c1a88a49b06a90212303287a154a.pdf 82f5b0a93f021644c81fc9ee1fbf6d71 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE Description An account of the resource To help promote its work and reduce dependence on the established professional press, NAM created its own newspaper SLATE. The editorial group met bi-monthly to gather together latest events, activities and ideas emerging from radical critiques and challenges to the established order of architectural practice and education. The content of each edition was collated, and cut-and-pasted into layouts of the magazine which typically ran from 16 to 28 pages. Each edition included a brilliant cartoon by Andrew Brown who emerged as a clever graphic artist synthesising NAM's radical ethics. SLATE's production ran to 17 issues in total. The SLATE Group also produced occasional annual calendars, of which three survive Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE 3 Description An account of the resource ISSUE No 3 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT BDS:TASS MUSTERS TS FORCES JULY/AUGUST 1977 \ sp ial recruiting leaflet aimed at workers in architecture, surveying engineering and planning has just been published by the TASS Building Design Staff (BDS) ‘national advisory committee, which iscoordinating the organising drive nationally and which consists, at present, of ten architectural workers chosen by the May 14 conference. The new London ‘BDS’ branch of TASS has now had three meetings. Understand- ably, the main topic of discussion has been organising continued on page 3 INDUSTRY STILL BREATHING! FOLLOWING THE NEW ARCH ITECTURE MOVEMENT SPONSORED CONFERENCE ON MAY 14 which choose TASS’ the Technical, Administrative and Super- visory Section of the AUEW* as the vehicle for a long-awaited trade union organisation drive among private sector building design stat, a steadily- growing core of active union members have begun quietly laying the found- ations for a major organising effort in the autumn. Wek EEF Le Slate‘s exclusive inside story of the takeover of Architectural Design magazine over the last year...... 1. ARCUK: THE SHEEP {N WOLF’S CLOTHING the parliamentary debate around the registration acts. 2.PROFESSIONALISM: THE MYTH and the IDEOLOGY the dubious rationale behind the professional associations. 3. ARCUK: INSIGNIFICANT OR Does ARCUK need a broader set of objectives? PART IL OF “ A COMMUNITY DESIGN SERVICE” - Cardiff NAM group’s attempt to set up a local ASBESTOS RECENT ‘PUBLIC HEARINGS’ of the Government’s Advisory Comm- ittee on Asbestos, held in London from June 27 to 29, may have done little more than give anti-asbestos campaigners their ‘day in court’ and give an increasingly concerned pub- lic the impression that something is being done about the health haz- ards of asbestos. Asbestos ind- ustry management will now be breathing a sigh of relief and getting on with ‘business as usual’ least for the moment. Twelve groups and individuals were allowed to give evidence at the hearings and be questioned by Committee members Questions from the public were not allowed Earlier, the Health and Safety Executive had published the writ.1 evidence submitted design service continued on page 3 a ie slite!, n., a., & v.t. 1, Icinds of gres, gren, or bluish-purple rock easily split {nto flat smooth plates; pleco of cuch plate used ns roofing-material; piece of It usu. framed in wood used for writing on with~-penTorsmallrodofso~f(ctlean th of 0 WORK ON SLATE SLATEneedsmoreworkers,more writers and more ideas. This issue was put together by a committee of seven. A larger committee would mean a better newsletter; so would more writers, illustrators, cartoonists and photographers, and simply more suggestions for stories and features. Ifyou would like to work for SLATE, join the committee or suggest topics it should cover, then please write in soon. The copy deadline for the next issue is Friduy 26th August 1977 OUR HIGH PRICE 40p is a lot to pay for a newsletter this big.ThefundingofSLATE isconnected to the funding of NAM as awhole, and last year the Movement ran up substantial debts, This year’s liaison group determined that that situation should not arise again and fixed the subscription rate accordingly, both to the Movement and the newsletter, in the knowledge that insolvency would never help the Movement to grow, and in the conviction that NAM’s strengthwilllieamongpeoplewhoare prepared to support its activities to the full. The annual subscription to SLATE, for five issues, is £2 00. If circulation rises then the choice is open for SLATE to become larger or for the subscription to fall, but for the moment it must not get into debt. ADVERTISING Atanearlymeetingthecommittee decide not to take commercial adver-- tisements in SLATE. Advertisements from alternative groups and personal small ads are, however, welcome. A small charge would be made but the committee reserves the right to turn down any advert COPYRIGHT Any article or part of an article or part of an article in SLATE may be freely but accurately reproduced, providing that SLATE is credited as the origin of any material used. awards Slater's award for self-publicity this yea goes to Charlie Jencks for his out- standing review of his own bestseller *Post ModernisnyY’ in the Sunday Times Colour Section Charlie’s two page spread folded discreetly between ads for the Ford Fiesta und Harvey’s Bristol Cream explained with wonderful clarity and the advent of a new bourgeois confection, Post Modern Architecture and convince the newspaper's five figure readership how PM was now the topic of heated debate in architects offices throughout the land. It obviously took over from redundancies and how to pay for your season ticket without us noticing. TASS Continued from page 1 Reportsfrommorethanahalfdozen offices where organisation is making real progress suggest that the first employer recognition of BDS-TASS may occur later this year. Recognition would provide the Opportunity to begin to demonstrate what unionisation in architecture can achieve and is expected to give a big boost to nationwide organising. anemployertodenyrecognition. Organisation is also progressing in several other towns, including Cardiff and Edinburgh, where architectural staff are joining ‘general’ TASS branches, many of which already have building design staff members. As membership grows, it is expected that special BDS branches will be set up wherever justified by eachoffice. Itisthis‘shopfloor’ organisation which must do the vital, “grass roots’, person-to-person organising and in which members can ‘together decide the policy they wich to pursue and the means they wish to use to achieve it.’ Each group of TASS members in an office can choose a ‘corresponding member’ (to liase with the broader union structure) andan‘officecommittee’torepresent them, when necessary, in dealings with the management. _—_‘Full-timeunionofficials can be called in for advice or aid in neg- otiations, or when seeking recognition, at the request of the members in the office. On the other hand, the companies will be putting a major effort into salvaging the huge asbestos-cement products market for a much longer period. They will try to draw 1 dubious distinction between these products containing containing roughly 12% per cent asbestos and ‘soft’ products )like insulation board) containing 30 per cent. They are already getting support from the leadership of some trade unions involved in the manufacture of asbestos cement products who may find this more convenient than fighting for alternative, safe employment. The Green Ban Action Committee in conjunction with the Birmingham Hazards Group of BSSRS, has recently produced a four-page leaflet, ‘The Asbestos Hazard’, available from GBAC, 77 School Road, Hall Green, Birmingham 28, for 10p, postpaid (£3.00 per 100). NAM’s contributions; ~-colour(ed), (of) dark Dluish or gree grey; hence slat’y? a, 2. adj. (Made) of ~. 3. y.t. Cover with ~s esp, 03 rofing; hence slat/en' n, (ME before achieved recognition in a private architecturalpractice. Thereisnorule as to when to seek recognition, but it is usually done when a majority of staff have joined the union Under present legislation, it is difficult in that case for As the new leaflet points out, however, ‘thekeyunitintheunion’sstructureand the means whereby staff can democratically and collectively have a real voice in all the decisions which affect their work ‘is the organisation of unionised employees in fc, fern.of esclat SLAT*) Qs). Cr severely 2reviews),scold,rate; nominate, propose for oifice etc. Henco slat’ssX1) n, fapp. f.pree.} SLATE IS THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT, published bi-monthly by the Movement’s Liaison Group and edited on its behalf by an adhoc committee set up in January 1977.. News and features of broad interest to workers in the profession, and the buildiag industry and to the wider public are included to stimulate debate on a wide range of issues and to bring the Movement’s views and activities to the attention of the widest readership. . help build SLATE’s readership . help to build NAM . subscribe to SLATE .show ittoyour friends . become a local rep to distribute SLATE in your office, school or town . ask for SLATE in your local bookshop . get your school or office to subscribe. .AND THE FUTURE For SLATE to grow asalively reflection of the views of radical Architectural Workers and others concerned with the processes which shape our environment, accountability of editorial decisions to the members of the Movement is essential. This year two further issues areplanned. Each one will be proceeded by an open meeting with the Editorial Committee. Come and express your views and criticisms at these meetings or through the letters column of SLATE . Next year itissuggested that the adhoc committee should be disbanded to be replaced by an editorial committee elected by and directly responsible to the annual congress of the Movement. SLATE 3PAGE 2 by 24 groups and individuals. from asbestos industry management, their front groups like the Asbestos Research Council and their allies like the National Federation of Building Trades Employers, to anti-asbestos campaigners like Nancy Tait, the British Society for Social Responsibility in Science (BSSRS), and Socialist Worker. In the middle were groups like the Comsumers’ Association and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, who presented a breakdown of the uses of asbestos products in construction and the current cost implications of alternatives. The RICS did recommend that ‘savings in medical and other costs should be taken into account wheb considering additional construction costs, even though they arise in different sectors of the national economy.” In its written evidence, the TUC noted that ‘the present Asbestos Regulations and Hygiene Standards are totally inadequate to provide protection against cancer risks,” called for the progressive banning of al use of asbestos within the next ten years und recommended an immediate lowering of the maximum allowable concentration of asbestos dust to 0.2 fibres per cc from Occupational Safety and Health has already called for a level of 0.1, the least detectable. Management spokesmen from the asbestos industry claimed they would close down their UK operations (Turner and Newall employs some 10,000 asbestos workers) if the 0.2 level were enforced. The TUC apparently backed down at the hearings from the surprisingly strong stand it had taken in its written evidence. in on the act Now the dust has settled after the NAM sponsored trade unionism conference architectural workers busy getting on with organising their colleagues into TASS may be surprised to hear that UCATT’s STAMP section is setting up its very own National Advisory committee for architectural workers. An astonishing turn about for that union who, as late as the beginning of this year, expressed, quite candidly, that to the trade journals promoting the cause workers in private sector offices were and incidently, his new book, ‘Fight Blight unorganisable. We can only take it NAM wins a mention in this worthy tome, then that UCATT/STAMP’s new committee Mr McKean assures us. Readers of asuitable is being set up to serve the interests of the disposition should turn to his page 166. the present level of 2 In the United few building design staff they already have in membership in the public sector. We haven't received our review copy of ‘Fight Blight’ yet, which is a pity, because without it we can only surmise on its ARCUK Registrar isbeing selected by a committee composed entirely of RIBA ‘heavies’ and drew attention to ARCUK’s chauvinists — eee ee TheSlaterhears attitudestothosepoorworkingclass that Rod Hackney - communities beset by office development the RIBA’s front runner in the Community grim council flats, derelict land and so on. Architecturecooptionstakesisreluctant YoubetitsagoodPRjobforthe‘New to employ women in his o} Profession” of sensitive caring architects out Second prize to the book’s publisher, Andreas Papadukis for similar efforts in his other publishing venture this month Architectural Design, which this month carries SsOn new style. You called, you guessed it, Post Modernism. be fighting a rear-guard action to keep their highly profitable asbestos ones on the UK market longer than would otherwise be possible. They will also be stepping up sales to ‘third world’ countries. is more readable and updated version of her earleir pamphlet and is available from Exchange Publications, 9 Poland Street, London, W.1. back seat driver? The community architects bandwagon ARCUK VOTES FIASCO rolls on, Charles McKean the RIBA. Community architect supremo, is hoping to climb into his driving seat , it would seem, from the recent letters each. Following the Council’s decision to maintain secrecy, vote totals are being revealed only to the individual candidate. SLATE is published by the LIAISON GROUP’ oftheNEWARCHITECTUREMOVEMENT, 9, Poland St., London. W1. Typesetting by Debbie Coates, Maggie Stack PrintedbyWOMENINPRINT,16a,Illiffe hisviewsaresharedbytheunlikely sponsoredpovertyprogrammes,__Itsfine TheCouncilputitselfintheabsurd Asitturnedout,theUnattached RIBAmembers.Itisprobablethata Yard, London, SE17. company of Colonel Siefert to fight blight so long as you stand no. position of refusing to reveal, in the standing for election to the committee few RIBA nominees disobeyed the ‘whip’ ‘Itisbelievedthatnounionhasever potentialmembership. These ranged States, the National Institute for Asbestos industry management now appears to be pursuing a two-fold strategy. On the one hand, they realise that despite their massive, slick and deceptive advertising campaigns, more and more people now know that al forms of asbestos can cause asbostosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma, even from the slight exposure to which members of the public are subjected, and that so-called ‘precautiors’ free two page leaflet is still available are ineffective, impractical, unenforced or unenforceable. The major companies have begun producing asbestos-free insulating insulation boards and will, at the same time, Nancy Tait’s ‘Asbestos Kills: New Facts’ The six NAM-affiliated architects elected to the Architects Registration Council (ARCUK) in a postal ballot of the more than 3,100 ‘unattached’ architects earlier this year have already begun to make the RIBAplaced a ‘three-line whip’ on its questioned the procedure whereby a new their presence felt, injecting into the nominees, who dominate the Council, to Council’s June 22 quarterly meeting a prevent the election of unattached ‘NAM’ strong note of dissent against the customary members. RIBA steamroller. Even before the elections, RIBA members ‘double standard’ under which, for example, Faced with increasing economic had been assured, for example, of filling RIBA branches are allowed to advertise pressuresontheprofession,theRIBA twelveoffifteenplacesonboththe whilegroupsofUnattachedarchitects machine appears to be running about Purposes and Finance and General Purposes are not. The next Council meeting is on in a gradually increasing panic trying to Committees. On the Board of Education, October 12. jamitswell-fedlitlefingersintoanever RIBAmemberswereassuredofholding48 TheMarchmeeting,atwhichthe growing number of holes in its erstwhile seats, while the Unattached, who held two, voting took place, had been attended by tidy system of ‘professional’ dikes. were contesting two more. S7 Council members, of whom 45 were Rod may be interested to know that to make their fortunes out of government chance of besting it. accepted democratic manner, the votes vacancies got, on the average, twelve votes on the secret ballot. in the previous meeting’s elections for vacancies on ARCUK committees. A NAM motion to do so was defeated by 28 votes tol2. ‘It was before those elections that Representatives of the Unattached also (send stamped SAE, please), and BSSRS will soon be publishing a pamphlet aimed particularly at shop stewards. SLA3TPAEGE3 ASBESTOS Continued from page 1 FaneS+ rt SLATE 3PAGE4 SUBVERSION OF A.D. In April 1976, the editors of Architec- tural Design Magazine, Martin Spring and Haig Beck, proclaimed jubilantly that they were taking over the equity of the magazine. Butnow,lessthanayearandahalfhence, the tables have turned and the magazine’s new publisher, Andreas Papadakis, has wrested absolute control of the magazine, both in terms of financial and editorial interests. AD’s world-wide reputation as a tearaway avant-garde architectural magazine is well established. This profile, however, com- prises two components: the one is a eulog- istic showcase for whatever glistening gadgetry, style or conceptual ‘ism’ has been newly purloined from neighbouring discip- lines by breathless architectural young turks; the other is a radical and independent stance that takes an iconoclastic view of the exces- ses of building development and architect- ural conceits in their social and political contexts. The intention of the editors in taking over the equity of the magazine was to promote the latter approach: the magazine’s natural tendency towards edit- orial independence could be secured by its egalitarianism would match the editorial message of the magazine, Spring proferred Beck an ident- ical shareholding of the company as himself work of the five editorial staff. Further- (for no capital investment on his part) and more he closed down the editorial office —— es riding the magazine on the crest of the present wave of formalism. The poingnancy of the overthrow of AD’s independence has been accentuated by the strategy of which was employed. If Papadakis had bought out the magazine outright and simultaneously announced plans for revamping its image, the people involved would have known where they stood, and could have lumped it or left it. However, the campaign of behind-the-scenes manipulation that was conducted over the last year had a most unnerving effect on nearly al editorial staff and consultants. nightmare For the editorial staff, it was literally a nightmarish situation in which to work. The previous owners of AD, Standard Catalogue Ltd_, decided to hive off the magazine as they were moving out of London. They offered the magazine to the incumbent editors under a convient arrangement whereby the purchasers would financially guarantee the vendors for the publication of the 12 months’ issues of the magazine which had already been sold to subscribers by the vendors. Spring and Beck quickly decided that this proposition seemed an attractive one, but that they didn’t want to directly take on the responsibility for the magazine’s subscriptions and accounts. They there- fore joined forces with the only person they knew who had experience of running subscriptions for international architecture Papadakis enters magazines, Andreas Papadakis, who owned and controlled a burgeoning art book emp- ire in Kensington and was a publisher to boot. Papadakis was interested in AD and showed a sympathy for the editors’ principles of editorial independence. Although he professed to have no ready capital to invest in it, he demanded the controlling interest in the new company. SpringandBeckbelievedthatiftheedit- orial department was agreed about the editorial policy of the magazine, the pub- lisher could be kept at bay, as he could not sack both editors without bankrupting the company. A sum of £16,000 was agreed between purchasers and vendors as financial guaran- tee to cover the publication of the magazine for 12 months. This sum would be lodged in a special bank account and released incrementally as each of the 12 months’ issues was published. The £16,000 was gathered from Spring and his sister (£8,400, courtesy of a recent inheritance), a total of 26 ad hoc patrons of the maga- zine (£6,100), and Papadakis, (who topped up the final £2,500 with a short-term loan). In the idealistic spirit of egalitarianism that publisher in any dispute, thereby blowing any possibility of editorial independence. In the event this is exactly what happened and with terrifying precipitousness. Beck found it more to his liking to confer with Papadakis rather than with the other editor, the editorial staff or consultants, Papadakis demanded a tight ship, and with Beck eagerly assuming the role of henchman, his plans for revamping the magazine revealed themselves in a variety of indirect ways that rapidly succeeded in inducing a high state of paranoia in the staff. Payment for overtime work, always an integral part of AD’s staff’s skimpy earnings was banned; the Editorial Assistant was barred from writing for the magazine; the Editorial Secretary’s workload increased dramatically as she was expected to go through a myriad of checking and counter- checking procedures of expenses; the Prod- uction Editor found that the whole creative component of her work, designing page layouts, was taken out of her hands and commissioned to a freelance graphic desig- ner (at considerable expense). _In general, al editorial decisions regarding the running of the editorial department and the content and style of the magazine were made out- side the office (it was quite clear by whom) and issued to the staff with contemptuous brusqueness by Beck. Papadakis claimed that the magazine into the red Was running into the red and drastic re- arrangements were called for. Since he controlled the accounts, there was little scope for disputing his diagnosis. How- ever, his strategy for improving the financ- es of the magazine were entirely at the expense of its employees, as he favoured farming out the work to freelance journal- ists and designers. Naturally the staff sought aid from their respective unions (the National Graphic Association and the National Union of Journalists). The situation was brought to a head last Febr- uarywhen Papadakisannounced thatthe laying off of the Production Editor ,and that the other staff would have to take on promotion work and even volunteer to work work part-time. The staff responded by demanding the reinstatement of the Prod- uction Editor, threatening industrial action with union backing. The situation was complicated by the fact that the financial guarantee on the magazine still had another three months to run, and this money would be forfeited in the event of any failure to publish the magazine during that peroid. Half of the guarantee money was Spring’s, which very effectively held him hostage to Papadakis’ plans. The situation was resol- yed in a meeting between Papadakis and union officials: the three members of staff were laid off with three months’ compen- ices. After a few more months of stag- nation, Spring was bought out ofhis job and his equity of the magazine for 14 months’ compensation. (He had a two- year contract of employment). Papadakis’ game is obviously to strangle AD as it has been, claiming that it is finan- cially unviable, so that he can then build it up in the image he has planned for it. He would then have in his possession a magazine title of world-wide repute,a list of subscribers and a magazine that conforms to the image he wants- all for next-to-no capital outlay. impressario Papadakis isapublishing impressario: he revels in the reflected glory of the cult art books he publishes. His instincts are absolutely capitalistic, and he has a shrewd ability to latch on to the latest cult figures - his paperbacks of prints by Mucha and Beardsley, for instance, have been superb money-spinners. He sesa similar potential in architectural publishing -monographs on cult architects consisting mainly of photos and plans with accompanying texts that are bland and eulogistic. AD’s prime interest to Papadakis lies in its service as an international network of contacts from which he can draw off suit- ably fashionable architects to publish mono- graphs on. At the same time the magazine provides readers with tasters for these forth- coming books. Since he has become interested in architectural publishing, Papadakis has been developing another periodical alongside AD under the editor- ship of David Dunster, provisionally entit- led Architectural Monographs. Framed as a quarterly periodical, each issue is devoted to a famous architect from the present or recent past and is aimed at students who a are looking for a cheap and simple run-down down of architectural heroes. Issues have been drawn up on Robert Venturi (inevitably) (inevitably), Mies van der Rohe and Victor Horta. Thismagazinewasduetobelaun- ched at the beginning of the next college session in September, but he has been keep- ing open his options of merging this new periodical with AD. Papadakis is eager to steer AD back into the mainstream of international architect- ural magazines, emulating the hecticly competitive Japanese and Italian glossies such as A+U, which are feverishly leap- frogging each others’ attempts to glorify the latest architectural prima-donnas. prima-donna The current movement in architecture is, of course, a return to formalism. It is an understandable -and to a large extent welcome -reaction to the anaemic function- alism and the mindless technological build- ing ‘solutions’ of the 60’s, but it is also a swing away from the slow dawning of political consciousness among architects. In the way-out architectural cliques in Japan or London’s Art Net, this formalism is pushed with gay abandon to a mannerism that can be outright neo-fascist in effect. To the architect, the spectator is all-import- ant, while the basic human and social needs of the users are negligible. But the new formalism is not left at that it must be packaged and presented in the most esoteric of philosophic rationalisations, continued on page 13 ihMANNERISM. financial independence as an autonomous sation each. Papadakis then expected the two editors, Spring and Beck, to carry on doing the wor company of limited liability. Now, as one Mn simultaneously appointed himas joint leaving them to muddle along from home. strand of Papadakis’ glossy art-book empire, the policy of the magazine has lurched towardstheotherextreme. Amanwitha shrewd eye for cults Papadakis is now editor. A meeting of the magazine’s eight editor- The flaws in the arrangement are quite jal consultants was called, to which Papad- obvious in hindsight: the purse-strings of akis announced with crocodile tears that the company were held by Papadakis, who the magazine would have to go through also had the controlling shareholding, and an ‘austerity’ phase for a few months. there was no safeguard against one of the When the consultants responded with editors crossing over to the side of the scepticism, he dispensed with their serv- SLATE 3PAGE 5 aleh ARCUK: The | since this body at best occupies the dustiest corner of the practising architect’s conciousness, and forms the most tenuous link between society and the profession including its trainees. included the dubious boast that voluntary registration of architects was mooted as far back as 1791, and that even between 1888 and 1913 thirteen Bills had been put forward without sucess, The arguments against were more argument that the assumption that the numerous and more diverse in origin. The public interest would be safeguarded was any existing lawful means of livelihood. More than this, however, from reading the pages of Hansard one sees the debates becoming more repetitive and irritable. And one senses a strong undercurrent of suspicion that beneath the sponsors’ ‘altruistic’ intentions lay the self-interested attempt by one section of the community to align itself with the powerful forces of industrial and landed capital. The opposition showed surprisisng foresight in questioning the equity of mandatory fee scales - a development which which was clearly expected to follow hard on hardontheestablishmentofthenewCouncil: Still more surprising was the sponsor’s bald reply: ‘I can assure the Rt. Hon. Gentlemen that there has not be = any compulsory scale of fees fixed by the Institute and there never will be.” sheep in wolf’ vain when one could see with ones own eyes that RIBA members were already responsible for some of the least disting- clothing The answer is that this currently supine body does indeed amount to the only statutory agency regulating the profession, The RIBA success in occupying the professional limelight is an historical anomolyanditisARCUK alonewhich constitutes the official link between architects and the parliament of the land to summarize the principal arguements familiar Arts and Crafts Movement’s objection to legislating in matters of ‘art and creativity’ was dusted down after its last period of prominence during the exams uished buildings in the country. Conversely The reasons why NAM has interested itself in the Architects Registration Council, were spelt out in the Private Practice Group’s Progress Report to the 2ndNationalCongressinBlackpool, November 1976. Nonetheless they deserve to be summarised here before embarking on this more general SLATE feature, for the benefit of those readers who have become interested in NAM since Blackpool - if for no other reason. Whilst it would doubtless take many hours of argu ment to agree the form of words -the concensus must surely accept that there are two broad fundamental ideas at the centre of NAM’s work. The first -the need to achieve ameasure ofself-determination by Architectural workers -the body of the profession: the second the urgent need to introduce real accountability and social responsibility on the part of Architects towards building users and the public at large. The duality of these preoccupations is essential if NAM is to avoid swerving into mere ‘fringe benefit’ type self-interest on the one hand, or vague populist do- gooderyontheother. Amajorstepin pursuit of the first idea has, of course, been NAM’s work on unionisation culminating in the free choice of TASS as a potent vehicle of organisation. debateattheturnofthecentury. To those who believed in the artistic and emotional primacy of the design process any system of registration on ‘objective’ standards was both arbitary and repugnant. However, the content of this argument is probably less significant than the likelihood ative of the profession as a whole. Nothing that its proponents, several from the AA and short of a referendum was felt adequate to andtheFacultyofArchitectsandSurveyors justifysuchasignificantclaim,andthe The second aim ismore exclusive, moving from passive understanding, through all of which contribute to our feelings of the critique of patronage, to the formulation of immediate courses of action. While the outlines of the belief remain blurred, we must continue to approach the target from several different avenues - of which the National Design Service, the analysis of architectural education, and live projects such as the Cardiff JCP Programme or Birmingham Green Ban Action Association are but three currently in train. disorientation and irresponsibility. Meanwhile the process of change would help to scramble the heirarchical structure of the profession reinforced by RIBA domination. Before diving into history let itagain be saidthat ARCUK represents just one appropriate instrument for attacking the Status quo and that the many other and deeper problemsof accountability -going back to source, so to say, from the specifics of contractual obligation, through public control of resources, consumerism, local and national government procedures, to the broadest notions of social justice, equity and freedom- that these problems [ADMISSIONS] advisory panel DISCIPLINE A fourth is NAM’s involvement with ARCUK which developed directly from the discussions of the North London/ Private Practice Group/between Harrogate 1975 and Blackpool 1976. With NAM’s instinctforthedangersoftokenismitsoon remaininneedoffurtheranalysisand PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES reg. 14) Euntaroecesepeatestasensanacode ofconduct title (1938 act) Educ. Fund (1969 act) Educ. grants |Projects & awards FINANCE & GENERAL PURPOSES reg 10) houskeeping fee became clear that blueprints for a model practice were little more than idle spec- ulation if the wider professional and social context of architectural practice remained unchallenged. _Itmight well be asked what relevance ARCUK could bear to a radical democratization of architecture SLATE 3PAGE 6 debate. BIRTH PANGS: the fifty year filibuster Part of ARCUK’s recent submission to the Monopolies Commission's ..No statutory basis established b act of panliaryent —~— @iablished by regulation ~ (Privy Council) SLATE 3PAGE 7 If a major aspect of NAM’s aim is the forging of new and revitalized links between the profession and the lay public a primary role must be restored to the only agency relating the two. The RIBA, as an internal professional society is technically gratuitous to this relationship -ARCUK as the registry of professional legitimacy is indispensable. At the same time it would be naive to concentrate solely on our draft proposals forareconstitutedARCUK asasemi-lay institution excercising the professional control which by default or stealth has passed to the RIBA, ignoring the dynamic political spin-off derived from the very process of mounting the challenge in the meantime. _ Nonetheless the reformed ARCUK postulated elsewhere in this feature would confer two-way benefits: for the public an opportunity to penetrate and hence dispel the exclusive ‘mysticism’ of the profession currently the source of much suspicion and resentment; for the practising architect a rescue from the limbo of non-accountability, currently glossed over by bogus social science, a toothless code or mere wishful thinking: for and against, that were raised in the extraordinarily controversial passage of this legislation. The ‘first’ Architects Registration Bill (ARB) was presented for Ist Reading in the Commons on llth February, 1927 after the RIBA had recovered from a position of disarray the previous year when draft proposals for making the employment of architects mandatory on al building projects over a certain value were abandoned as unattainable, The Ist Reading accomplished, the sponsors, a group of Conservative MP’s friendly with and advised by the RIBA - of course the prime mover - presented this private members bill for 2nd Reading on 8th April, 1927. The ensuing debate stretching through 80 columns of Hansard raised almost al the arguements for and against which were to reappear again and again up to Royal Assent on the 3lst July, 1931, and, indeed thereafter, when the second principal Act of 1938 was introduced. The double premise on which the proposal was based consisted firstly of the aim to protect the public from imposters- i.e, men claiming architectural skills who were in fact inadequately trained -and secondly of the desire to distinguish and thus protect properly qualified architects from others, The legal mechanism adopted to exercise this control was the protection of the title ‘Registered Architect’ denoting one whose name was set forth on a public register to be administered by a new Council, who would also supervise entry standards, As ARCUK’s literature boasts, ‘Thus, any member of the public commissioning an architect will be dealing with a person who has at least met a required standard of professional training, experience and behaviour, ARCUK can in this way claimtobeoneofthefirstconsumer protection organisation’, (ARCUK Booklet, p.3, March 1976) The need for such a measure at all Was attributed to the increasing volume of the construction industry, the complex- ity of modern building practice and the new scale of responsibility falling on those involved in their design, (FAS), were already suspicious of future RIBA dominance should al constituent bodies be absorbed into a statutory council. A similar motive may be detected in the objections of those representing the Incor- porated Association of Architects and Surveyors (IAAS) foremost among whom was the MP Robert Tasker who argued from the outset that Registration was simply a protectionist measure for the RIBA’ Meanwhile lay sceptics in the House, most of whom started uncommited, became preoccupied with the dual RIBA leadership’ action in forestalling one was construed unfavourably. investigation of the mandatory fee scale We take up the story around 1926 when a new phase of activity began which eventually culminated in the passing of the Architects Registration Act in 1931. The functions of this and the subsequent Actsaredetailedelsewhereandthis historical note chronicles and attempts iftheRIBAaffixwasasolidguaranteeof fitness any additional registration was surely superfluous, There was further lay objection to the credibility of the sponsors’ claims that their desire for Registration was represent- Likewise there were serious misgivings as to the composition and confidentiality of the Discipline Committee (Section 7, 193] Act) virtually a kangaroo court capable of depriving a man of his livelihood with few of the normal standards of accountability 2 March, 1926, Col. 777 or appeal expected of a court of law. This last objection may be taken as a specific example of the more general principle that only with great reluctance will the British Parliament introduce legislation likely to remove or endanger This astounding quotation faded into history when after reaching no conclusion the Bill passed from 2nd Reading to Select Committee -there to die on the 26th continued on page & DIAGRAM SHOWING THE STATUTORY BASIS OF ARCUK riba code PARLIAMENT 1931 Reg. act. Sir C. Kinlock-Cooke (Con.) Hansard, FeaturePROFESSI NAL | GOVERNMENT continued from page 7 July 1927 when a vote of 5 to 4 decided against its recommendation back to the House, Little over 6 months later a new Bill (ARB2) was introduced to the House of Commons - this time with even less sucess, ds the Bill was ‘counted out’ at 2nd Reading on 2nd March 1928, By now the lay tobjectors to the ‘closed shop’ aspect of the measure had become more vociferous and ensured that by 11.00 pm no conclusion of debate would be achieved. Disappointed at their fortune in the Commons, the RIBA next sought to introduce the Bill into the House of Lords and there achieved a measure of sucess to Passing to Commons on 23rd December, 1928. ‘Thence back to the Commons where on 30th January, 1929 the Ist Reading of the 3rd ARB took place. Again a motion by Robert Tasker to ‘adjourn debate for 6 months’ -and again on 2nd Reading, Sth March 1929, an adjournmen‘tat 11pm, thus killing the Bill for the third time. The tracks of ARB4 peter out, and Uansard’s next entry is for the introduction of ARBS First Reading on 3lst October 1930. By now irritated and impatient Parliament apparently felt disinclined to jabour the matter much further and after a 25 column debate on 2nd Reading (2nd November, 1930) and a swift passage throughtheLords(passed16thJuly1931) the Architects Registration Bill as we now know it received the Royal Assent on Bist July, 1931. PROFESSION; unattached architect does: hang a myth & the large notice from your drawing board try to ignore those feelings of ALISM: The deprivation and do what one local ideology The RIBA would have us unattached architects believe we are at a dis- advantage in not having the backing of their club. If your RIBA colleagues at work are prominently displaying their RIBA certificates of membership, reading ‘ALTRUISM FOR SALE’. Now this may provoke from your professional colleagues attempts at justification of the £38 p.a. these certificates cost them. Point out to them that £38 is in fact a reduced tate for architects. It is a small price compared to the price that members of the public are forced to pay for the function the,RIBA purports toperform. This article attempts to show that professions put a price tag on their THE GRAMOPHONE: AO years in the groove The 1934 Architects Registration Act concerned a merely technical amendment a and was passed in a matter of weeks (19/6/34 -25/7/34), and it was not until early in 1937 that the RIBA, now under the guise of ARCUK, tooka second bite at the cherry. Now the aim was to complete the unfinished business of 1931 and restrict the protected title still further to that of ‘Architect’ alone, the argument in favour being that an element of confus- ion remained in the public mind. In the 2nd Reading debate 17th December, 1937, al the old wounds -and some new ones - were reopened, and in a particularly incisive speech Robert Tasker referred to ARCUK, after some 7 years of existence, as having deteriorated into amere h When the 193] Act came into force, he correctly stated, the first thing the RIBA did was to seize control of the Council, They next seized control of the Board of Architectural Education, such that these became known as the ‘gramophone’, as whenever a member of that ‘honourable institute’ made a proposal there was a chorus of ‘Agreed, agreed, agreed!, just like a gramophone, On the 29th July, 1938 the measure to further restrict the title received the Royal Assent, but 40 years later the metaphor of Robert Tasker seems, if anything, even moreapttothoseNAM memberswho currently occupy the unattached Architects’ seats, Whilst the RIBA may have suffered a ‘technical knockout’ in being prevented from itself becoming a monopolistic statutory body, the substance (if not the spirit) of the Acts has enabled it to exercise most of the control over the profession with little of the reciprocal public responsibility and accountability. With somewhat misplaced candour, ARCUK declares, ‘All the bodies repres- ented on the Council can influence decisions, but in practice, in matters relating to the profession of architecture as distinct from those concerned with the protection of the public -the RIBA has the greatest influence because of its large membership on Council, on the Board of Architectural Education and Committees of Council.’ (ARCUK Booklet, March 1976, pp 3 -4.) Forty years in the groove has led ARCUK to i ini ities of p dure in almost every department -as the unattached Architects have already found to their detriment, The question remains: Can or should ARCUK’s primary role a protector of the public interest be salvaged, or might it as well remain an RIBA sheep in statutory-wolf’s clothing, leaving this urgent business to the Department of Fair Trading, the Consumer Association or similar agencies? The question requires an answer -and soon, The ARCUK electoral session lasts but one year and before long the NAM representatives will be forced to evaluate theircontribution,notintermsofplans- but in terms of action, HAWSER TRUNNION ‘altruism’, and takesa critical look at just what this ‘altruism’ means. The technological developments of the industrial revolution accelerated the growth of industry. Development of elements of the capitalist mode of production - competition between capitalists, exploitation of workers, division of labour - accelerated correspondingly, (1). Competition between capitalists hotted up in early 19th century Britain in an age of laissez-faire and individualism, and the need to compete in order to stay in the market led the capitalist to more intense exploitation of workers, increasing division of labour, and hence the removal of labourers even further from the end result of their labours One consequence of this was the recognition by workers that the one thing they possessed, their labour power, was a commodity like any other and subject to the same market forces, They began to recognise that their interests could best be protected by grouping together. Grouping gave them afirmer basis from which to attempt an improvement in wages and conditions, and offered the possibility of preventing any further dilution of their skills and the consequent threat to their livelihoods. The early 19th century was also the period in which members of ‘professional’ occupations began to group together.(2). For what reasons did ‘p 8 They were not subject to quite the same threat to wages and conditions, since ‘professionals’ were in a better position foom which to negotiate their own terms, largely due to their class position (professions were considered suitable occupations for the second sons of the upper classes), but their dependence on industrial owners as employers was becoming more and more more akin to the dependence of labourer on factory owner. With the decline in noble patronage and the growth of industrial wealth, ‘professionals’ were increasingly employedbythenewindustrial new industrial bourgeoisie bourgeoisie as opposed to the aristocratic patron. As new skills and areas of knowledge arose in response to the needs of industry, the traditional fields of expertise of the ‘professional’ occupations were increasingly invaded by those possessing these new essential skills. In the architectural field, the main threat came from the engineers, whose tapidly expanding knowledge of the nuts and bolts of construction was much much more relevent to the industrial bourgeoisie than the architects preoccupation with style. Architects, seeing their territory being eroded by other skills, and fearing a consequent threat to their livelihoods, responded similarly to other ‘professional’ occupations in this period. They defined the area which they considered to be their concern, and attempted to control the practice of skills which operated within that area. As Tawney says, ‘It is significant that at the time when the professional classes had deified free competition as the arbiter of commerce and industry, they did not dream of applying itto the occupations in which they them- selves were primarily interested’. (3). In an age where free competition was ‘deified’, how did ‘professionals’ so successfully manage to organise to protect their own interests? In the same period, similarly motivated attempts at organisation by industrial labourers met with powerful and sus- tained opposition. Organisation by ‘professionals’ also met with some hostility (based ,Barrington-Kaye believes, on the experience of physicians and i ,and the ‘exclusiveness, selfishness, and sloth- fulness of their fossilised corporations” (4).) but this hostility was certainly not of the same extent as that met by the growing trades unions. How did ‘professionals’ get away with it? This has something to do with their class position and (as a consequence of that) a lot to do with the way they went about organising. Largely asa result of their class position and their previous mode of employment by artistic patrons, ‘professionals’ did not identify themselves as a group whose interestswereinoppositiontothose of theiremployers (as did industrial labourers). Rather, they identified their interests WITH those of their employers, and used this ‘common interest’ as the basis for their organisation. They held that, by organising, they would be able to offer employers a ‘guarantee’ of competence and integrity. They could guarantee competence, they argued, by setting down certain minimum qualifications, without which practitioners would not gain entry to the organisation. They could guarantee integrity, they claimed, by setting down a code of conduct, which those gaining entry to the organisation must undertake to comply with. In Barrington-Kaye’s words, ‘...professional association thus represents an attempt by persons Ifyourefuse to negot- iate withus then our | union TASS will negotiate for us--- considering themselves qualified in their vocation, to ensure that their services shall be rewarded adequately, by excluding the unscrupulous and the unfit.’ In other words, they recognised that the market for their services, already threatened by the inability of the old-style ‘professions’ to meet the new demands of industry, would be further threatened if the ‘unscrupulous and the unfit’ were unscrupulous and the unfit to be seen to erode the credibility of the‘profession’ still further by bringing it into disrepute. So, although the methods of organisation of industrial labourers and ‘professionals’ differed greatly, their MOTIVATION in organising was identical -both were attempting to counter the threat to their own livelihoods. Let us look more closely at these ‘guarantees’ offered by the professions. Professions are not the only occupational types to attempt to limit entry to those holding certain minimum qualifications, nor was this anew innovation. Guilds and apprentice- ships had existed long before the industrial revolution. It is the ‘guarantee of integrity’ which is the main distinguishing feature of the professions. Barrington-Kaye: ‘Non- professional occupations may have associations, training schemes, and tests of competence; they do not have, for they do not need to have, codes _ ofconduct.Itwouldbeamistaketo attribute Zincreasingly altruistic motivation’ to the professions on this score, however; the adoption of a code of conduct was a necessary condition of their existence in the 19th century. ‘Laissez-faire’ and ‘caveat emptor’ were acceptable as principles of commercial activity because it could be assumed that the customer both knew what he wanted, and was able to recognise it when he saw it. In the case of professional services, neither of these assumptions could be made.”. ‘Caveat emptor’ (let the buyer beware) is inapplicable in a in a professional context, argues Barrington-Kaye, since *..in a professional/client relationship, since the client does not know exactly what he wants, he cannot be sure of getting it. The professional is not only the bs e Ca Sree FAN-tass.TIC aEa SLA3TPEAGE 8 Clea Ee cz ah i =of 2 Angus| SLATE 3PAGE 9 | SLATE 3PAGE 10 SLATE 3PAGE 11 The rationale behind the ‘professional guarantee’ was well formulated in the terms of those it needed to convince, and the process of professional organisation was able to proceed. At first organisation was through ‘voluntary association’ in professional instiutions. Membership was not compulsory and very many of those practising in a particular ‘profession’ did so outside the relevant institution, but the very existence of such institutions enabled their members to operate as the ‘elite corps’ of their profession. For this reason, the aqquisition of a Royal Charter of Incorporation was, during the 19th Century, much sought after. But although membership of a professional institution could be held up to clients as a ‘guarantee’ that their interests would be served competently and trustworthily, thus protecting the market for a particular service from erosion through the incompetence and lack of integrity of its members those outside such institutions were still able to compete with members for work. The tendency ot the ‘voluntary association’ was towards monopoly of that profession, through compulsory registration. Now, in the 19th century atmosphereof * laissez- faire’ and the ‘deification’ of free competition, voluntary association had been the only feasible method of organisation. By the beginning of the 20th century, says Barrington-Kaye, involuntary altruism ‘the involuntary altruism of mankind had been disproved, (and) rules for the control of his egoism could be openly discussed...Th.e trend towards monopoly, welcomed in 1851 as enlightened self-interest, had, by 1901, to be presented as an act of self-denial, designed to protect the public from the fraud of competitors. But in professionalism, as in many other institutions, it is noticeable that onlytherationalizationschange;the trends remain the same. The trend in professionalassociationfromthefirst has been towards closure. That statutory registration could be an openly avowed aim in the new professions by 1901 was due, not to any change in motivation, but to a new social philosophy’. Compulsary registration was achieved in the architectural profession by 1938. Well, you might say, what does it 1 matter whether the motive for professionalisingisoneofselfinterest, ifthe ‘guarantees’ offered by professions stem from what is, arguably, a need for ifasked would probably say that itfunc- insignificant process, But this is not the only omission, and indeed,itisimpossibletovisualise a professional code of conduct which could be more than an outline in general terms of the sort of behaviour the profession expects from its members. The effectiveness ‘figleaves’ covering the profession’s less of the code can be judged by the profession’s palatable effects, and offer smokescreen record of prosecutions, almost all for trivial cover to professionals while they go about tious. What is the Council’s common purposeandisitreleventtoday? To answer these questions we must look into how ARCUK is constituted and carries on its business, Present constitution ARCUK’s common purpose could come from one of several sources: one, from a higher authority, which would then impose it on the Council; two, from some mirac- ulous common instinct of its members (note that in both these cases there isan absence of conflict, the common purpose being either imposed or recognised by all Without dispute); or it could come from a third source, from the divergent private because the skill and experience of RIBA members willbeessentailtoanyrecons- tituted Council. reconstitute Why bother to reconstitute ARCUK? First; it is the only body which contains representatives from outside the confines of the profession, Second, the powers delegated to it by the Registration Acts are no longer adequate; And, third, in all aspects of its work its response is distorted by the preponderance of RIBA members, It is for the first reason, i.e. the presence of lay people on the Council, that I feel ARCUK may be worthwhile. a Council for the Review of Architecture) andgivenabroadersetofobjectives. It is obvious that in order to achieve this rejuvenation ARCUK must first ‘un- scramble’ itself from 40 years of collusion with the Royal Institute of British Arch- itects, Perhaps then it really will be significant. A pamphlet is published by ARCUK, “Architects Registration Council of the United Kingdom’ (March 1976), and is available from the RIBA Bookshop, price 50p, It is recommended by the RIBA to all practices and schools of architecture.), offences, while the large scale flaunting of the code by Poulson et al goes unnoticed (or unchallenged) until criminal prosecutions are brought; The professions attempt to control competition between members by the setting up of mandatory minimum fee scales and by prohibiting, or controlling the explanations in shortening them, and I extent and form of, advertising. The Monopolies Commission is currently investigating these practices, and the report presented to them by the New Architecture Movement (7) shows up as fallacy the rationale used by the profession, i.e. that the setting up of a minimum fee scale protects the quality of service, in that professionals will not then be tempted to shoddy service offer a shoddy service in order to under- cut their competitors. Setting a minimum fee scale in no way ensures quality of service. Professions claim that by offering ‘guarantees’ of competence, integrity, and non-competitiveness, they can offer protection to those seeking theirservices. But I would argue that professions are in no position to offer such guarantees, and that in any case they are offering no more protection to their clients than is now available in law. The NAM report to the Monopolies Commission spells this out, and points to the legislation which exists to protect the consumer of any sort of service, legislation from which those offering professional services are certainly not exempt. So professions are not only offering worthless guarantees, they are offering guarantees which, even were they effective, afford their clients no more protection than is already available to them in law. But more than this, by claiming to be able to offer such ‘guarantees’ in the ‘interests of the client” (and, it is increas- ingly argued by the professions, in the ‘interests of the public at large’) the professions are provided with the legitimation for practices which they claim are necessary to enable them to provide such ‘guarantees’. don’t think I’ve made any assertionsI wouldn’t be prepared to back up with more detailed arguements. 2. ‘Professional’ is used here as short hand to denote those occupations which later became professions. At this stage (with the exception of medicine and law) professional institutions had not been formed. 3. R.H. Tawney, The Acquisitive Society, (1945). Why is ARCUK so very insignificant to the profession, the industry, and the nation, and yet too significant to continue to be dominated by the RIBA? To answer this question we must look at the nature and and scope of ARCUK’ 4, i Kaye, The Di of the Architectural Profession in Britian, (1960). 5, Here Barrington-Kaye makes two assumptions I would challenge: 1, that the clients do not know what they want (I would dispute this at the present time especially where ,for example, anaarchitect is engaged to design a speculative office interests of the members througha political where the clients most certainly know exactly what they want and the most sucessful architects are those who know best how to provide it) and 2. that ‘technical solutions’ are value free (Idoubt that this has ever been the case.) 6. NAM Monopolies Commission Report (available for £1.00 from NAM) It needs, however, to be reconstituted upon an even broader base if its state- ments are to be received as fair and authositative by the general public, ARCUK’s basic concern with registr- ation is still relevant but no longer adequate. TheActsdonotenableitto take account of changes in the structure of the profession, in patronage, and in the social climate. It should be able to concern itself with broader social and political basis. It could be renamed say, the ‘Council for the Review of Arch- itecture’, which would report periodically on the state of the art and the profession, We need a new social organisation toTep- resent the profession to government, industry, and the general public. We need a new ARCUK’ In October 1975, when the Council were considering the draft of the new Code of Professional Conduct (the purpose of which was to bring it into line with the recently redrafted RIBA Code!), a representative of the ‘unattached’ architects proposed the following two principles be incorporated in the new Code: one, that the public interest, expressed particularly in terms of work for the underprivileged members of society, should take precedence ensuring competence and integrity with- in the profession, and for limiting the effects on clients of the professionals. This depends not only on whether you feelitisDESIRABLEto ensure competence, integrity, and non competitiveness, but also on whether you consider itisPOSSIBLE to ‘guarantee’ these through a professional mode of organization. Let us examine this possibility on the grounds mest favourable to the ‘professional’ standpoint, and assume for the purposes of this article that it is desirable to attempt to foster these three elements. Is it possible to do so through professional organization? Professions attempt to control by limiting entry to those who satisfy their minimum entrance requirements and by instituting, or giving their approval to, courses of education and training culminating in qualifying examinations set by or approved by the professional institution. While this system could be said to guarantee that every member of a profession has been through and satisfied the require- ments of a course of study approved by the profession, it does not guarantee the subsequent competence of that member. Competence arises through a combination of education, which should aim to equip the practioner with the range of knowledge from which to make theoretical choices, and experience, which should make the practioner better able to chose between the range of choices available in a given non-theoretical situation. So setting ever higher minimum entrance requirements will have no effect other than that of barring entry to the profession to a large section of those already working in related fields. Technicians, building workers, and other occupations integral to architecture, have a large and relevant experience which the architectural profession is only too happy to rely on but is unwilling to admit to its ranks. Professions attempt to control the integrity of their members by requiring them to conduct themselves in accordance with a code of conduct. Since the original purpose of such a code was to enable the professions to be seen to be protecting the interests of their clients in order to maintain a market for professional services, In a society which exalts ‘professional’ it is not surprising that, for instance, the code of conduct of the architectural profession has only recently incorporated anyreferencetotheUSERSofbuildings.continuestoholdthattherestrictionsit Theconceptofcommonpurposeisconten-employedmerelyforRIBA-bashing,simplythenationifitwerereconstituted(as Restricting entry to the profession perpetuates the ‘elitism’ of architects by reinforcing the division of labour in the building industry and ensuring the continued stratification between builders, technicians and ‘qualified’ staff. Enforcement of a minimum fee scale minimum fee scale perpetuates the situation where those with good financial resources will always be able to retain professional help, while those with no resources will have to rely on the help of those few professionals prepared to offer their services voluntarily or do without professional help altogether. ethic, The corolary being that without it (and without the mandatory minimum fee scale) both the architect and the public interest would be adversely affected. Architects would suffer through the development of ‘cut-throat’competition, fee cutting, supplanting, soliciting, with clients playing off one architect against another and large diversified offices Squeezing out small specialised offices by price-cutting and advertising. Also the public interest would suffer through reduced professional services and the dey- elopment of an ethical environment detri- mental to the high ideal of social service to which the profession is said to hold, An analysis of the Council reveals the following: group A -40 members (RIBA), group B - 7 members (‘unattached’ architects), group C - 4 members (Arch- itectural Association), group D -2 members (Department of Environment), and 13 individuals, and, two, that no architect should employ another architect, ie. every registered architect in private practice should be entitled to be a partner in that practice. rejection opinion ,this ensures the reproduction of the disadvantages experiencedby the ‘disadvantaged’. Yet the profession enforce has relevance only ifthe nature in pressure and propaganda brought to future? and scope of the Council are generally bear from outside the Council; The ARCUK could be significant to the agreed; But generally agreed by whom? mechanisms exist, but they should not be profession, the industry, and, therefore, imposes of its members are necessary inenablingittoofferitsworthless ‘guarantees’. And these ‘guarantees’ not only act as legitimising factors, they also act as protecting their own status and the market for their particular products. 1 Apologies for the brevity of my : explanations and the baldness of my assertions,butinashortarticlethisis inevitable. I’ve tried not to distort the ARCUK: The Architects Registration Council of the viable the constitution must be accepted the United Kingdom was established to protect the general public and architects alike from the unscrupulous, the criminal, and the incompetent, It has six principle functions, One, to control admission totheregisterofarchitects, Two,to prevent unregistered persons from pract- ising as architects, Three, to judge and review the standards of education in arch- itecture schools, Four, to support research since 1969, Five, to provide maintenance grants for architectural students. And, six, to impose discipline upon architects according to a code of professional conduct. by all members as afair set of rules for thegame, Butistheconstitutionof ARCUKa fairone? _—‘Theimpossibility of a ‘perfect’ constitution is self-evident Simple majority rule has theoretical as well as practical limitations, particularly According to these descriptions ARCUK tions ‘from a higher authority’ under the provisions of the Registration Acts, It is my view that it should function more dem- ocratically, reflecting the struggle for a more truly democratic society in which concensus somehow emerges froia conflict. The mechanism by which this conflict is resolved is a constitution. To be in the case of ARCUK: strate, stranglehold RIBA members constitute the most powerful group on the Council. And they operate as a ‘group’. Evidence of this can be found in the recent architectural press. A letter addressed to each RIBA member of ARCUK by the RIBA Council informs them of how they are expected ARCUK relies heavily on the Code of Professional Conduct, the purpose of whichisthemaintenanceotaprofessional tobehaveatanARCUK Councilmeeting. overtheinterestoftheindividual client The essence of the problem is distri- bution of seats, There is no practical possibility of vote-trading, even if an issue existed (say, one of ‘conscience’) on which RIBA members could be released from their whip; Apparently this problem cannot be resolved by normal political process within the Council, since one thing the Council cannot be used for is to decide what its own future constitut- Those proposals were rejected without discussion by the RIBA group present, one of whom remarked that that would mean ‘unscrambling the profession of the last 40 years,’ Consider our sadprofession: under scrutiny by the Monopolies Comm- ission; divided on fundamental social and technical issues; viewed with suspicion by fell fellow professional and public alike; con- demned to low pay and high unemployment and suffering a monumental crisis of spirit, of the Council and the Code it seeks to ion should be, The solution must lie purpose and organisation, The entire edifice of the constitution Ishall demon- judge of what technical solutionbest fits the client’s requirements, he is also the the technician who supplies that solution. The temptation to supply an unnecessarily expensive one, or to overcharge, iscorrespondinglyraised, and it is therefore necessary for the client to have some guarantee of integrity before he can safely venture to purchase the professional’s services’. (5). ARDIFF PART 2 us? It was probably in this area that our collective lack of experience weighed under the JCP should be paid less than the negotiated market rate for the job. However, some kind of agreement was reached on the content of the form, with particular attention to the comments of the assessor, who it seemed would ‘judge’ the credibility of our application. The meeting ended, as did the first one, with the assistant giving us help and encouragement, telling us to get the application in quickly as the money was starting to dry up. He left us with the impression that because of our thorough- ness, and the gap which our service would fil, the application stood an excellent chance of being considered favourably. A couple of weeks after this final meeting the application, in its amended form, went in with all the accompanying backup material. It didn’t seem to reflect the hard work of the Cardiff group during the previous six months, or the changes and compromises made in its composition. But it seemed to make good sense and looked very thorough. though in the light of our initial idea it could only be accepted as the basis for something better in the future. At the beginning of December we received a letter from the MSC informing us that our application had been turned down, No reasons were given, although the letter stated that should we have any queries they would be pleased to help us. It seemed the only thing to be salvaged was the reason for the refusal, but even this proved to be impossible. We tried to arrange meetings but no one would see us. The Area Organizer for Wales was sympathetic, but he passed us on to his subordinates who didn’t think it was a good idea, Then we tried to speak to the enthusiastic assistant, but each time we phoned he was either absent or busy and so eventually Italked to the Cardiff areaassessor. Inameandering conversation where he wouldn't be pinned down the key word was once again credibility. He also mentioned the lukewarm response of the RIBA locally (we didn’t seek their approval, although we did inform them of what we were doing), and the capability, or lack of it, of the group to oversee the project. So we were left with not even a coherent reason for the rejection, From a third party we heard that the assistant was very surprised and saddened to learn that the scheme did not go through. He had worked hard on it during the assessment. As a last attempt to salvage something from the project, we approached the MSCtoaskwhatitwouldbenecessary for us to do to make our application acceptable to them; their reply was to the effect that we would have to work in conjunction with local RIBA groups and within the local authority structure with the approval of the relevent planning departments. Following on from our JCP application, the enquiries we made established the feasibility ofa design service anda real need for work to be done on a number of projects. The rejection of our application has meant that any work will, however, have to fund itself. Initially a community group contacted us to do some design work in connection with their own JCP application to provide labour to build a number of buildings in an area of Cardiff where resource allocation has been very low. This project did not materialise but has now split into two distinct projects, The first of these is for a workshop and mini bus garage for ajunior school, y to be done ona self build basis using volunteer labour and second hand materials where possiile. The second of these is for an extension to a community centre to be built, hopefully, using JCP funded labour. We are doing improvement grant work to terraced houses, in a previously blighted area of Cardiff, for low income owner occupiers, This isbeing dome through and with the encouragement ofa local community and advice centre, The nature of these jobs and more importantly, the “financial status” of our clients excludes a full service - percentage fee scale being applied in the accepted sense of what a full service entails, while a partial service is not itself adequate. Work is therefore being undertaken on a time charge basis. After an initial meeting with a householder a projected cost can be given for design work and supervision based on an average for this type of work. This isnot too difficult an exercise where a degree of repetition is involved. Problems, when they arise, concern not so much fee costs but more usually the ability of a householder to meet their share of the building costs where there are restrictions on where they can borrow money when a bank holds deeds to the house as security on a previous loan to buy the house, While hardship grants may apply to some casts this will not usually be the case and this problem has yet to be tackled. Continued from page 5 which form an essential part of the formalist movement. This rationalisation can afford to be intellectually risque and to flirt with the jargon of semiotics (in AD Jan 77 and Apr 77) the abstract structuralist Marxism of the Althusserian School (in AD Mar 77): the terminology is so esoteric as to be unintelligible even to architects; the conc- lusions of scholarship so abstract as to be in effect tautological, and the focus of their philosophisings so introspective as to render the participant oblivious of the real and urgent problem of the present - universal recession and the baleful effect this has on building development. Such rationalisations then, are blatant mystifi- cation, designed to maintain the unassail- able elitist position of the priesthood of architects and their apologists in architect- ural magazines such as the revamped AD. This is part two of the Cardiff NAM group’s account of their attempt to set-up a community design service. The first part was published in SLATE 2 and dealt with the group’s initial proposal to the Man Power Services Commission, leading up to their rejection of the group’s prop- osals. Part 2 below deals with the prob- lems encountered by the Group over the question of professional indemnity and shows how, to gain acceptance, it would have been necessary to set-up the project within the established structure of the RIBA and the Local Authorities. The various parts of the article were prepared by individual members of the group and do not neccessarily represent a collective view. The experience of our attempt to establish a free environmental design service for community groups high- lighted two problems which may affect others with similar aspir- ations. The first difficuly we encountered was inherent in our objective. It arose from wanting to provide a FREE service; how then could we provide the salaries of those actually doing the design work if no fees were to be charged? This led us to apply to the MSC, as described previously. But the second difficulty would apply to anyone who wished to offer architectural services. It revoives around the need for insurance to cover any liabilities incurred. Asa group, we had very limited experience in this area. Having taken both professional and legal advice, it became clear that the proposed design service would require at least two kinds of insurance cover, Employers’ Liability Insurance and Professional Indemnity Insurance. We feel that the need to have this latter cover would be likely to defeat any attempt to establish a design service for those unable to afford the RIBA fee scale, and accordingly itisabout professional indemnity insurance that we seek advice from anyone more experienced in this field. most heavily against us. After long negotiations with a large and competitive firm of insurance brokers, and after seeking advice from the Architects’ Benevolent Society, it appeared that limited insurance cover of, say, £100,000 would be available but only for the high annual premium of £1,000. Cover would be required not only while the service was being provided but also during the statutory period of limitations. This _ would have involved us in having to raise a a sum in the order of £6,000 just to provide professional indemnity insurance. This proved to be an insurmountable financial hurdle, Even if our applicatioh to MSC was accepted, this would have defeated our attempt to provide a free design service, We would have been unable to take out insurance to safeguard the interests of our community group clients and ourselves. But the experience we gained from investigating the field of insurance has proved invaluable for the insight it provided about the constraints operating against the practice of architectural design skills in Britain, and this could be of the utmost importance to anyone else aspiring to provide a design service for people who cannot afford the RIBA fee scale. The premiums demanded by this kind of insurance cover pose a serious obstacle to anyone hoping to provide a free service with a responsible attitude to the interests of non fee paying clients. It may be that the size of such premiums may lead some community design groups to ignore ora avoid taking out professional indemnity insurance, Indeed, our own canvassing of other such groups indicates that this may be the case. But this omission renders both designers and their clients vulnerable. We started to take steps backwards when we began to examine in detail the areas of insurance, a constitution, management committee, property, and so on. In my view al we succeeded in doing over the next few months was to compromise our original ‘go it alone’ attitude. Consult- ative pressure became very strong; the more we tried to move outside the system the more we were forced, by the law and practicability, back along the conventional line, For me the only thing that held the scheme together during this period was the thought that if we could only get it financed, albeit with compromises, it would be a start, it could be used to explore this virgin territory for architectural workers, SPOT THE SEXPLOITATIVE ADVERT! In our case, the purpose of this kind of insurance cover would have been to insure the management comminttee against any liability arising from either its own negligent actions or any vicarious liability arising out of the negligent actions of its employees. Now, this is not just an academic issue, but one that could become all too real and pressing inpractice.If,forexample,amember futureworkcouldbebuiltonthe of the proposed management committee, or someone working for the design service, gave advice or made a design decision which proved to be negligent and resulted /ts necessary #opoint ot sexploitation in advertismg, but if can be done rn non-aexist ways, He thiak 11s covnkirproduchve fo Wemente Bat Ghehve YFRONTS, FELLER, oat r in the injury of a client, insurance cover would have been essential to meet any damages arising, to protect the mange- -ment committee, and also, equally important, to protect the client’s interests, Obtaining this kind of insurance posed problems for us. How could we pay the premium required? How much cover would we need for the service we proposed to offer? Would we find an insurance company prepared to insure SLATE 3PAGE 12 we had a second meeting with the same assistant at the MSC, and this time the Cardiff area assessor was present for part of the discussion, For this meeting the group had drafted out aJCP application Once again the assessor was very enthusiastic and helpful but the assessor was much more reserved about every aspect of the scheme. The emphasis and wording of the answers to some questions was altered to suit the assessor. Words such as credibility cropped up, and he suggested that the workers employed experience gained, Towards the end of October 1976 -+-Marilyn, this months centre-point likes super-smooth shower fittings elegant light- weight cladding and especially on dull weekends, intumescent paint. Her plush led modular greenhouse. And if that apartment is bush-hammerd and has an agreement certificate, and boys, her favour- ite colour is munsell 032-57. She is taking a holiday this year at an industrial estate near Bletchley in a quickly assemb- 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. _ ABK Holdings Ltd HUME ATKINS Ltd RAINWATER TRADING CO. LTD DAMIXA N.S.E. GROUP HILLS DOORS CATNIC LINTOLS doesn’t absolutely shot-fice you we can tell you that she has a large grey poodle called neoprene gasket III........ees0. SLATE 3 PAGE 13 REVIEW REVIEW OF ‘THE RIGHT TO A DECENT HOUSE’ BY SIDNEY JACOBS ‘The Right to a Decent House’ is a case study of the struggles of a working class community in Gairbraid, Glasgow which was part of a clearance area, The book is a blow by blow account of how the community organised itself in order to protect its interests and its varied record of success in acheiving it’s longterm aims. And yet it is much more because through- out Sidney Jacobs analysis of housing policies of Glasgow which he relates to a socialist analysis of housing and community action, ‘By understanding the rationale behind rehousing, local communities may protect their own interests’ says Jacobs, Implicit in the book is the assumption that socialism offers the only possible way out of the present mess, and while no attempt is made to describe precisely how this might work, by demonstrating the solidarity, ability, committment and potential that exists in working class communities Jacobs gives us glimpses of a future where such communities would have the power to control their own destinies, It is sad that there are no illustrations in the book and also that it is so expensive, But for anyone looking for socialist altern- atives to the present paternalistic attitudes that characterise the state’s housing policy it is extremely valuable, “The right to a decent house’ 1976 by Sidney Jacobs is in paperback ,published by Routledge Kegan & Paul priced £3.50 160pp. WORKING FOR WHAT? ARCUK ARCUK Group, NAM, 9, Poland St., London W1. LIAISON The Secretary, NAM, 9, Poland St., London, W1 NDS NDS, NAM, 9, Poland St., London, W1. PROJECTS David Roebuck, 25, St. George’s Aye., London, W1 CONSTITUTION Constitution Group: 9 Poland St., London, W1 PUBLICATIONS Editorial Committee, NAM, 9, Poland St.,London,W1 CARDIFF Anne Delaney, 196, Albany Rd., Roath, Cardiff EDINBURGH David Somervell, 22, Penmuir Place, Edinburgh 3 HULL Ian Tod, Hull School of Architecture, Kingston-u-Hull Regional College of Art. Brunswick Ave., Hull DIARY AUGUST tuesday 9th; NAM CONTACTS LEEDS Pete Forbes, Parkview, Weeton Lane, Hoby, Leeds 17 LONDON Douglas Smith, 17, Delancey St., London, NW1 NOTTINGHAM Nottingham Group: contact John Mitchell at 14, Derby Grove, Lurton, Nottingham, EDUCATION Edinburgh: David Somervell Hull: Jane Bryant, Hull School of Architecture. Leeds: Pete Forbes Nottingham: John Mitchell NAM groups wanting to contribute information on their activities should get their copy to SLATE by 26th August 1977 for inclusion in the next issue. home- 735 4629) NEWS FROM CONSTITUTION Following requests in SLATE and discussion at the recent London Seminar the Constitution Group has now met on two occasions in London. Despite poor attendance discussion has identified four key areas that require detailed study, mem- bership, the role of the Liaison Group, the role of the Congress, and the Newsletter. A first draft is to be produced by the middle of August followed by meetings in Cardiff, Nottingham (possibly Leeds) and London. All NAM members are urged to send their views in writing to Poland St., as sonn as possible so that they may influence the of the first draft. NOTTINGHAM The counter course organised by the Nottingham group and held at the Univer- sity on the 25th of June wasalively and well attended event. The participants, who included local architects, students and suprisingly (or not) only one member of staff, engaged in a vigorous discussion on each of the three topics. The first speaker from the NAM alternatives to asbestos group outlined the known health hazards from asbestos and the fact that up to 20 years may elapse from exposure to contracting cancer. The safe limits are difficult to monitor particularly on building sites. Possible alternatives reinforcing fibres for both sheet and structural materials are being investigated by the industry. The closest practical and economic rival to asbestos appears at present to be steel fibre re- inforcement from scrap metal but there are production and rusting problems to beovercome. Itthereforeseemslikely that asbestos will hold its ground in the forseeable future unless other pressures are brought to bear on manufacturers. The NDS group speaker argued that the basis of a publicly accountable National Design Service already exists in the form of Local Authority Architects departments. Their function being to design buildings for public need not for private profit. The far reaching deficiences of many departments does not change that fact that it is through the state that a majority of people gain access to essential resources. The critical problem is how to extend local control over these services and design dec- isions and how to make the Local Authority architects directly accountable to the people who will live in or use the buildings, Divorced from such contact most architects work in a vacuum filled by beauracratic norms and standards. A long discussion ensued over these ideas and their applica- tion in practice. After lunch Peter Carter of UCATT described how the Green Ban Action in Birmingham had united different interests and classes in the city -from the Victorian Society and Friends of the Earth to building workers - in an attempt to prevent the demolition of the Post Office. The action has now expanded to include the formu- lation of constructive and creative policies forthisandotherissues. PeterCarter’s main theme however was the current threat to direct labour departments. He argued that local authority building workers used their labour in a socially useful way, supp- lying a service to the community to which they are democratically accountable. As their sole aim is not profit, direct labour departments are consistantly 5 - 10% cheaper than private builders. They train over 80% of apprentices in the building industry, they have an excellent safety record and give job security in an industry notorious for casual labour. In times of economic strin- gency private builders need council work but their profits will be severely reduced if they are to tender successfully against direct labour departments. It is therefore the policy of the conservative party and the recently elected Tory councils to disband direct labour departments in favour of private enterprise and UCATT ismounting a campaign to defend direct labour, The attack on direct labour departments was seen to be similar to the denigration of local authority architect’s departments and for similar reasons. The meeting looked forward to links being forged between building workers, local authority architects and tenants. The final discussion led by Peter Carter tanged over common problems and finished with a general discussion of NAM activities. =ein THE CASE FOR_TRADE AMO THE AivtD BUNDING PROFESSIONS monday 29th; SEPTEMBER monday 19th; Members of the Liaison Group wish to thank the London Group for organising and running a NAM information stand at the People’s Jubliee held at Alexandra Palace on Sunday 19th June (see diagram ofstandabove).NAMliteratureand AcollectionofcartoonsbyLouisHellman | subscription forms were made available to the several thousand people attending the event with modest but very worthwhile results. UNION ORGANISATION INARCHITECTURE Working for What?, a report by NAM’s (Unionisation) Organising Committee, with original cartoons by Louis Hellman, isamore comprehensive look at‘the case for trade union organisation in architecture and the allied building professions’. Arevisededition, which includes coverage of the May 14 conference which choose TASS, isnow available for only 40p, postpaid, from NAM, 9 Poland Street, London, W.l. SLA3TPEAGE 14 Hellmantakesastabfromtheinsideattheseemiersideofthebuildingprofession. | saturday 20th; Surgery for unattached architects monday 8th; LIAISON NAM’s 3rd Annual Congress 1977 is to be held over the weekend 2Sth -27th November at Hull where it will be hosted by the local NAM group, A meeting between the liaison group and a Hull representative is planned for July to divide responsibilities and agree principles for organising the event. The organisers will be approaching al local and issue based NAM groups in order to discuss their agenda requirements and co-ordinate what promises to be alively, tightly scheduled weekend. A timely opportunity for publicising the Congress is provided by this year’s Building Exhibition to be held in Birming- ham on 16th -25th November, Provided finance and staffing are available, it is hoped that NAM will be able to arrange some sort of presence at the event throughout it’s duration. Would all those able to help in any way please come forward. SLATE’s international appeal broadens Witheachissue. Hotontheheelsofa subscription from Iceland comes another, this time from Malaysia! Where next? NAM's 3rd Annual Congress will be at Hull this year. It has been fixed for the 25-27th of November at Hull University School of Architecture. There will be further details announced in SLATE 4. Se | Fillintheformbelowandsenditwithacheque/PO(payabletotheNewArchitectureMovement) NAME. subjects; ARCUK and SLATE 3 ‘Fell off my bike with laughter’ . Prof. Reyner for £2.95 plus 10p post and packing to NAM, 9 Poland St., London W1. Finally, after his short period of redundancy our congratulations to found- er member Morris Williams on his recent appointmentwithawell-knownarchitec- aADDRESS. oe eal tural practice in London. SLATE 3PAGE 15 | London Building Design Staffs branch of TASS ring Andrzej Michalite to confirm time and place (work- 485 4161, saturday 20th; Constitution Group Meeting in Cardiff saturday I3th; Liaison Group Meeting, ring Neville Morgan for details (work- 633 8388, home- 580 5270 Special aan ee vill isfor Pacheco | London Group meeting at the "Roebuck" o Tottenham Ct Rd at 7.30. be the NAM constitution. London Group Meeting at the "Roebuck" in Tottenham Ct Rd, London Group meeting at the "Roebuck"o Tottenham Ct Rd, at 7.30. Special eb ieee wil] be the NAM Congress at Hull. MANIFESTO FOR PLANNERS 14 working groups were set up by the CONFERENCE OF SOCIALIST PLANNERS’ founding conference in February this year, (see ‘planners for Socialism’ -p3, SLATE 1). The London Group’s task is to gather material for a formal manifesto to ‘provide a focus for planning issues’ and as a way of defining CSP’s stand on these issues, NAM wishes them every success in their fight against paternalistic state planning policies and we look forward to their next national conference at Leeds in October this year. Anybody interested in CSP should contact Nic Clifford at 40, Bramcote Road, London S.W.18. AND NOW FOR THE GOOD NEWS 4 A FULL SESSION OF LAMBETH Council gave final consent to the scheme to rehabilitate 21 units of housing in St Agnes Place, Kennington. (seeSLATE 1,p12.) The question of the future of this war- veteran of the housing crisis had obtained a mixed response in it’s passage through the various committee’s -at the Planning Committee meeting al the greying die- hards of the Conservative opposition (including the Mayor!) were wheeled in to vote against the proposal. “But wait a moment” the sceptics say “the Council permanent civil servants will not have buried the hatchet and will be preparing for an al out under-cover war to try to prevent the realisation of the proposal”. One can be sure that the Lambeth Housing Depaartment will not finally release it's grip over the control of a sizable wedge of housing without some spasms of remorse. =| | SLATE 4 will featurea series of articles |on UNEMPLOYMENT and THE BUILD— ING INDUSTRY. Special sections will | NAME ADDRESS. TELEPHONE( HOME ) NAME ADDRESS. focus on the particular effects that the crisis has had on Local Authorities and Architectural Education. It was also decided to hand over the rehabilitation of the houses to Lambeth Self Help Building Co-operative. The Housing Corporation will hand over the £27,500 from within it’s ‘mini-HAG’ scheme. _ The fact that this option would cost the Council nothing and would increase rate revenue certainly contributed to it’s eventual suczess SUBSCRIBE! ISSUE! (WORK ), third Annual Congress in Hull and full |details will appear in this issue. NEXT | | We will also be preparing for NAM’s | Also featured will be the work of the Green Ban Action Committee in Birming- ham: They have united a wide platform of |support amongst trade unionists, environ- mentalists and preservationists against the demolition of the Victorian Post Office and and proposed redevelopment on this site. dave mckay ittogetherwithacheque/postalorderaos totheNewArchitectureMovement)for£5.00(if you're employed) or £2.00 ( if you're are student, claimant or OAP) to NAM at 9, Poland Street | London W.1. If you would like to receive SLATE without joining NAM fillin the form below and send it together with acheque/postal order (payable totheNew Architecture Movement )for£200 toNAM at9, Poland Street, London W.1. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Andrew Brown/FLeP Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July/August 1977 https://nam.maydayrooms.org/files/original/986275af90b3238657146af8b3061cd4.pdf acfb9c314eaa00d9750767f5c42a05d7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE Description An account of the resource To help promote its work and reduce dependence on the established professional press, NAM created its own newspaper SLATE. The editorial group met bi-monthly to gather together latest events, activities and ideas emerging from radical critiques and challenges to the established order of architectural practice and education. The content of each edition was collated, and cut-and-pasted into layouts of the magazine which typically ran from 16 to 28 pages. Each edition included a brilliant cartoon by Andrew Brown who emerged as a clever graphic artist synthesising NAM's radical ethics. SLATE's production ran to 17 issues in total. The SLATE Group also produced occasional annual calendars, of which three survive Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource SLATE 4 Subject The topic of the resource Contains: 'NAM 1977 Congress Application' 'NAM 3rd Congress, Hull 25th, 26th and 27th November 1977' 'NAM Has A Stand At Interbuild!' Description An account of the resource CF purple rock easily split plates; piece of such {ed), (of) hence slat’ Criticize severely views), scold, rate; for office etc. Henco J} SLATE ISTHE NEWSLETTER OF THE ARCHITECTURAL MOVEMENT, published bi-monthly by the Movement’s Liaison Group and edited on its behalf by an adhoc comm- ittee set up in January 1977. News and features of broad interest to workers in the profession, the building industry and to the general public are incl- uded to stimulate debate on a wide range of issues and to bring the Movement’s views and activities to the attention of the largest possible readership. OUR NEW COVER PRICE We have been able to reduce the cover price of SLATE from 40p to 25p as a res- ult of the setting up of a network of 30 representatives throughout schools and large practices al over the country, The only committment of each representative willbetoreceive5copiesofSLATE every 2 months and to try to sell 4 of them, re- turning £1.00 to SLATE This system should also help SLATE achieve a far wider circulation and become more truly representative of the views of radicals concerned with the industry and the environment, WORK ON SLATE SLATE needs more workers, more writers, more ideas and more reps in order to produce a better, larger and cheap- er newsletter, _If you would like to work for SLATE; become a rep., join the committee, send in articles or suggest topics it should cover then contact us soon, The copy deadline for the next issue is Friday 28th October 1977, NAM groups wanting to contribute information on their activities should get their copy to SLATE by the 28th October 1977 for inclusion in the next issue. SLATE is published by the LIAISON GROUP of the NEW ARCHITECTURE MOVEMENT, 9, Poland St., London. W1. Typesetting by Maggie Stack and ,Julia W:lson-Jones Printed by 2 Tslington Community Press 2a St Panls Road @ London NI Originally named Wyke, Hull was founded by the Abbey of Meaux at the junction of the rivers Hull and Humber. The name changed to Kingston-upon-Hull when in 1293 Edward Ibought the town from the Abbey as astrategic military site. It became a Borough and a Port for Northern Europe. From the 14th Centuary as a Port, Hull prospered. Remnants of the buildings of prestige of those early days of growth can be seen in Trinity Church and Trinity House; the latter became important as a centre for the control of shipping. The 18th centuary brick terraces lining paved streets were evidence of continued prosperity of the Port. The War left Hull devestated. Many of the warehouses were destroyed and only 5,700 of the City’s 90.000 houses were undamaged. It was therefore necessary to re-plan the city. In 1943 Abercrombie and Lutyens produced a much praised plan for re-construction - broad roads and round- -abouts to erase much of the old town, with vast areas of slum clearance in the housing sector. Luckily, financial problems, and_ pressure from the large store owners, meant most of the plan had to be shelved with the exception of some aspects of road develop- -ment used in the 1954 plan and the South Orbital Road still to be completed. The housing clearance programme continues. Cc Hull is to be the site for NAM’s 3rd Annual Congress, the climax of 2 years in which the movement will determine its constitution haying grown toa position of some international impact Last year, Blackpool provided for those involved or interested in NAM an opportun- ity to meet to discuss the papers drawn up during NAM’s first year of existence and to formulate directions and proposals for action in the ensuing r, As a result of this many advances have been made including the Unionisation Conference of May 14th and the subsequent setting up of the Building Design Staffs, Branch of TASS as well as NAM’s involve- ment on ARCUK and the production of “SLATE’, NAM’s newsletter, Thus this congress will be able to take stock of NAM’s position in relation to the advances that have been made and discuss the future directions of the movement in this light. The congress will be held on the week- end November 25th -27th and the accom- odation is being provided by the Hull School of Architecture Association, Special care able from: The Secretary, NAM Liaison has been taken to keep expenses down and the congress fee will be only £5.00 which will include all meals. Overnight expenses will also be low with B +B available at £2.50 in the colleges residential accom odation, The Hull NAM group will also be able to put people up in students flats for a nominal charge of SOp. The congress opens onFriday evening (25th) with registration and buffet, giving people an opportunity to introduce them- selves, A short introductory session will follow, the discussions being continued we hope, in the bar afterwards, The main congress session starts on Saturday morning with reports from the various NAM groups to be followed by workshop sessions The workshop topics so far suggested include community architecture, our role in the unions, direct labour, NAM’s structure, plus Slate. After these there will be more plenary sessions. Later in the afternoon there will be apublicseminar-thisisaninnovationas far as NAM congresses are concerned. The topic for the seminar has not yet been decided but the idea is to invite local groups to talk about their concerns and problems in Hull. Saturday will draw to a close with supper and asocial event Sunday will include a meeting for NAM members to discuss and develop a constit- ution. A paper is being prepared on this subject. As membership has now been established it is felt that there should be an opportunity for NAM members to meet and define a structure for the movement Any person who joins NAM at the confer ence will also be welcomed, For those not involved in this meeting a tour of Hull is being organised by the NAM Hull group. Sunday will also be a day for making cont- acts, organising new groups, either issue OT geographicaly based. into two sections without satisfactory Nort, of eee Sdock pedestrian links. The old town i Local Authority Administration, Professional and Banking services and the The congress will therefore be of crit- ical importance to all those interested in helping determine NAM’s future direct- ion, members or otherwise. Itisimportant tobook early-applic- ation forms are enclosed and more avail- Group, 9’ Poland St., London, W.1. Ail workshop topics and written doc- uments that anyone may wish to submit must be sent to the Secretary by October 31st, for inclusion in the detailed prog- Tamme, CITY OF HULL In writing of Hull, the history of the Docks makes a history of the City: the life and livelihood of the City comes from the Port industries. A grid of new streets with associated Georgian development came withtheopeningofthefirstDockin1799. originalestimationwas£9million)with |eabaeseneen New Dock was finished in 1809 and in no road links south, will only be of regional By 1930 this economic growth came to a standstill. The Corporation bought Queen’s Dock and filled it in, Other docks now obsolete occupy a large area of the City’s heart ,so new uses must be foundforthem, of styles, giving little guidance for modern infill. There are many different types of city housing, as mentioned above in the Avenues, and the 1860 -1914 workers’ housing. Also there are model dwellings for the working class and Reckitts built Garden Village in East Hull. Most recently, the satellite town of Bransholme which is expected to expand to a population of 45,000, with wide roads, roundabouts, Hull, through its isolation and economic depression has missed much of the trend of the road and high-rise developments of the sixties and has had time to learn from others’ mistakes. The existing housing stock, together with the city-centre vacant land and the Dock land should be seen as resources for the possibility of re-vitalising the city. More recently the ideas of the Humber Bridge and the motorway to Manchester are seen as possibilities for the revitalisation of Hull’s economy, The Bridge, due for completion at a cost of £59 million (the (STREC (c% Malin eae!) 1826 Junction Dock linked the first two. significance. The motorway to the indust- In 1844 Railway Dock made the terminus stial cities should boost Hull’s importance totheRailway.OftheremainingWarehousesasthePorttoNorthEurope. LayoutSof1%b0-[GIE thePeaseWarehousesontheriverHull Thecityinplansuffersfrombeingsplit Wovkers Nousi (1745 and 1760) are among the earliest surviving in Britain. By 1840 fishing, Whaling, ship-building and ironworks became important new industries promot- -ing a second generation of Docks. The Albert Dock became the fishing fleet Dock, north of which workers’ houses were built in a layout unique to Hull (see sketch) allowme’a density of 49 houses per acre (200 -300 people per acre). Further north in 1870 superior residential suburbs of tie Avenues resulted from the new industrial expansion. historic heart of the city. The new town lacking facilities for entertainment, shopping provides mainly shopping and entertainment and transport Bransholme replaces the facilities, Architecturally, the city is an amalgam corner shops, small industries and commun- -ity spirit of the old city terraces, huge open unused space;desperately JudyAppleby age 2 TE4 SLATE 4 page 3 SLA EWSINEWS1! NEWS nationalise industry NOWsays n.e.c. SOME LARGE CONSTRUCTION companies should be nationalised to provideaneffectivepublicstakeinthe construction industry, argues a strongly worded new paper by the Labour Party’s policy forging National Executive Committee. Local authority direct labour organisations should also be extended to run as ‘municipal enterprises’ able to compete with private contractors for al jobs in their area contin- uesthepaper,draftedbyagroupchaired by left wing MP Eric Heffer. But ‘the most appropriate way to extend social ownership among the thousands of small firms in the industry’ would, says the paper, be by establishing workers’ cooperatives. These proposals, some of many in the paper’s encouragingly radical re-thinking of the construction industry, will be debated at the Labour Party’s annual conference in Brighton at the start of October. Ifaccepted,asNEC proposals usually are, they will become part of official Labour Party policy, although with the current state of the governments’ parliamentary majority, legislation is likely to be delayed for years. Nor are the construction professions excluded from the NEC’s broad canvas, “The professional contribution largely determined the opportunity for contractor efficiency and the client’s value for money} they argue, suggesting a four-point prog- tamme of reforms crucial to improving the professional input: * education of al in the construction industry should be controlled by one central organisation, such as the CITB, and not fragmented in the hands of the professional institutes; * there should be a statutory body to improve matters relating to contracts and disputes; * there should be greater incentives for technical competence related to graded indemnity insurance premia; *aesthetic quality should be improved by holding more design competitions. “QS s must develop more sophististicated methods of cost tontrol, Surprisingly, although the paper blames the!industry’s comparative under - unionisation for many of its ils -such as poorconditionsofemploymentandits appalling safety record -it offers no thoughts on the unionisation of the professions. Its central tenet is to offer to stabilise public spending on construction, thus helping to level out the recent erratic peaks and troughs in the industry's workload, in return for improvements in the industry’s efficiency and social acoun- tability. The best way to achieve this, say the NEC, is by increasing direct govern- mental involvement in the industry. legal assistants to tenants faced with bad housing conditions, by compiling a register of Public Health Inspectors who were prepared to argue the tenants case with private landlords and local councils and by sponsoring test cases in the courts. Most notorious amongst these cases was the one fought with Salford Council which firmly established the responsibility of local authorities to provide decent housing in- -spite, in this instance, of intentions by the council to redevelop the area. Action was brought under Section 99 of the 1939 Public Health Act. PHASalsopublishedafortnightly bulle tin on public health issues called Emphasis and rei nforced its technical services with occa sional Practice Notes on particular problems. PHAS was closely linked with Shelter, the National Campaign for the Homeless, from its inception. It was set up by a Shelter worker in conjunction wi th PHILAG, the public health inspectors’ action group, and Shelter provided the Service with an annual grant. It hopes to be able to carry on at least some of PHAS’ work in providing technical rescources on environmental issues. The practice notes published by PHAS are stil available through the Publications Distributions Cooperative PHAS' library has been moved to the London Council for Social Services, VSNIEWS ship would inevitably be lost if there was one, The issue now became -was the union a risk worth taking, perhaps at the expense remain friends with your boss? This iswhat of the existing easy-going relationshiTph?e Opposition to the proposals will befierce from most lobbies within the construction industry, particularly those on its right wing, such as the Association of Consultant Architects and the well organised National Federation of Build- ing Trades Employers, who will see their healthyprofitsthreatened. Criticismwill more equivocating come from the professional institutes, who will rightly see their own power threatened but will be loth to risk shooting their bolts with the government in power. Those who, like NAM, will find the NEC’s proposals refreshing, should stand up and be counted and try and make good itsomissionsandoversightsso that the benefits of socialisation can be enjoyed by al the industry. Direct labour organisations are fighting back in response to the hostility of the newly-elected Tory local councils and the savage public relations assault being mounted by, among others, the NFBTE and Aims for Freedom and Enterprise. A national campaign to defend DLO’s was launched in Manchester on 20 August. The conference was attended by 300 delegates from across the country, in- cluding representatives of the unions most closely involved -UCATT, TGWU, EPTU, NALGO, etc.. Conference speakers stressed the advan- tages of DLO’s - the best working and training conditions for construction workers, and greater social account- ability in techniques and projects. These were being overlooked, said speakers, in the the smear campaign which emphasised DLO’s admitted management problems, most of which could be overcome given more sympathetic administrators, The conference established a National Local Authorities’ construction Workers’ Shop Stewards’ Committee to fight back on behalf of DLOS. and agreed to press for Wages parity with private sector workers, Building Britain’s future: Labour'spolicy for Construction, Labour Party, Trans- port House, London SW1. PHASed out union blues model work DonatotTheiOtohernCisnema25Tc WI Tet637-0308 London may soon lose its only cinema showing, as a principal, Socialist films. The Other Cinema opened just about a year ago, At that time it was under cap- italised and is now ina serious financial crisis, It needs to raise £25,000 to con- tinue operating. Donations andapplications for “founding membership” should be sent to :The Other Cinema, 25, Tottenham St., London, W.1. office.) ; Coverage of the dispute in the trade press partners called an office meeting. Salary ‘and partly because there was went little further than the limited frontiers HOW TO START A UNION AND STILL TASS’ LONDON BUILDING DESIGN Staff branch has set up a working party to draft model conditions of emplyment forarchitecturalworkersintheprivate sector. the 20 strong staff at Pascall + Watson tried to find out last month. -The staff debates showed that their intent- ions were good and no malice was meant, butnowtheyhadtodecidewhetherto call the partnership’s bluff. “The majority still agreed with the issues behind union- ization, but the whole decision was effect- ively controlled by the partners’ attitudes and prejudices towards unions, In addi- tion to this was the fact that the burning issues had now been removed. ThingswerenotbadatP+W:thebosses weren't stupid like at William Nicholls Associctes, the working conditions were good and personal relations between part- ners and staff were friendly. One of the partners might be seen playing in the 5-a- side team against Seiferts or round at the pub on Friday lunchtimes, Nevertheless it was going to beapity that the unpleasant ritualofredundancieswouldsoonsplit’up association. Twostaffassociationvotes moregratefulifsomepeoplewouldbe a happy team that enjoyed its work and enjoyed each other’s company. No-one had ever been overpaid at P + W, and salaries generally lay respectably in the zone of the RIBA salary survey (low enough to grumble about), The problem had always been there: how do you broach the topic of salaries and redundancies without the individual being labelled as a troublemaker and up- setting the contented day to day existence? The staff felt that these important topics should not be dropped merely because of embarrassment, and they deserved more businesslike treatment. Under these issues it seemed there was room fora coll- ective voice for experience had shown that the individual was powerless against the strength of the partnership. The attempt at forming a staff body was carried out with the full knowledge of the partnership, and two main alterat- ives were explored: 1) the union (AUEW TASS), and 2) a staff association, ‘Inthe absence of information about the union, a small group of staff went to a branch meeting to see for themselves what was on offer. Despite the branch’s newness and small size it was felt that the arguments were ’ strong enough to take the matter a stage further, The staff were most impressed by other firms’ interpretations of unions in architecture, and it was decided to ask a staff member of one of these firms as wellasaTASSofficialtoattendastaff meeting. The debate covered every issue. The case was impressively put, guaranteeing independence to each office cell and allowing staff the traditional flexibility they had been used to. . The verdict after the meeting was strongly in favour of the union, on these terms which was relayed to the partners, A further meeting was set up a week later to make a decision, later confessed that they would probably join the union eventually, though they saw the staff association as the best first collective step. One month later, the staff are now finding that the staff association is hard work, and wh fund 1issues are raised negotiations with the p threaten impasse, notably on the position of the associates, Up to now associates have been involved in the staff association but their split loyalties put them ina diff- icult position. Most of the staff feel that the debate was worthwhile, and that something has been achieved; ifonly opening everyone’s eyes to a whole new set of issues that effect their work, The staff’s decision could perhaps be summarised that when things are not that bad, then in the short term there is more to lose than gain with aunion “coup”, As with other firms, the union isnow building up onacore of committed members, and if nothing else the exercise has at least opened up the debate. prepared to send the group copies of whatever they have by way of written conditions of employment or contracts. Please write ro him at 48 Neale Close, London N2, in confidence,. The timing was coincidence, it was said. The morning before the staff meeting the ‘on the effect advertising would have on the profession reviews were brought forward from Novem- ber to August and extensive reassurances were given about the workload and redund- ancies. The partnership’s view was not stated explicitly, but the message was quite clear. They would be very upset by the union, and they wanted to show how the status quo could work in the staff’s interests, profession. They were there- ‘They would not accept a union easily and fore neither for nor agrinst it was made clear that the existing relation- the RIBA proposals. By now, the result was never really in doubt: 3 for the union and 13 for the staff Part of this work entails a comparative study of employment contracts already in use. Mike Mitchell, a member of the study group, would like to hear from anyone ina private architects’ office who actually has a proper written con- tract of employment and would be even unattachedviews officeatYarmduringAugust.gaveafirst opportunity to hear from the strikers them- The Unattached architects on ARCUK have stated that the advertising issue in itself does not concern them, partly because the debxte on the subject was not based on knowledge but on speculation selves.. (Audiences at meetings in Cardiff, London and Edinburgh, arranged in conjunction with the TASS National Advisory Committ- ittee for Building Design Staff, heard a detailed account of the events leading up to and surrounding the strike, and heard the views of the strikers on the problems and tactics for militant action in an architect’s of the strike reporting style practiced by no reference to the main the national dailies, and gave little insight concern which was the interest into either the.tactics employed by the of the public and not whether or not advertising would increase the work of the Union nor the most significant events leading to the settlement. Talk of a union at Nichols started over a year ago when one of the workers sugg- ested collective action over wages and was it appears, preemptorarily “laid off” ,under < circumstances that were sufficient to ensure 7 inside Yarm afull report ona tour ~ of the strikersat William Nicholls office atYarm A speaking tour undertaken by some of the workers who had been on strike during much reported dispute at W Nichols’ JSNEWSNEWSNE SLATE 4 page 4 LATE 4page 5 TENANTS AND COMMUNITY groups have lost a powerful ally in their struggle for better housing. PHAS, the Public Health Advisory Service opted to close down on June 30th, unable to raise adequate funds to carry on its expanding work. In its four years of operation PHAS set out to provide technical expertise and that any further attempt at organisation would have to take into account the partners’ total and unshakeable opposition to trades unionism in their office. Against this background discussions which led to the eventual decision by the majority of the staff to join TASS were more serious and concerted and strictly confined to a nearby pub, Yet the union was acknowledged as the only way out where redundancies are used as a tactic to keep wages down and add weight to the employer’s excessive and arbitary flounting of authority. One architectural technician, aged 32, was earning less than £1900. During the four months that elapsed between the nine out of the thirteen employees of the firm joining TASS and the decision to strike, taken in the last days of July, the nine met twice weekly at lunchtime to discuss their grievances and decide how best to tackle Nichols. Votes were taken on all important issues and del- egates chosen to represent the union were sent to meet Nichols orhis junior partner. This democracy and solidarity did little to impress Nichols, however, who put forward a derisory salary offer, based on a compli- cated formula involving twelfths of ten percents, amounting to rises ranging from 8.3% to 1.3%. With one eye over their shoulders on the salaries of technicians at the Department of Health and Social Secur- ity (DHSS) who earn twice as much as some of the Nichols’ workers for doing identical hospital work the TASS members rejected the offer and pressed for rises of between £800and£1000,forlongerholidaysand improved conditions, These initiatives were met with stonewall rejection from Nichols, As well as the union claims, increased harassment, signing in and out was introduced and time keeping enforced by the threat of the sack for two days late- coming. Tho telephones were removed from the drawing office and all calls had to be made from a partner’s office. The inevitable decision to strike was taken unanimously by the TASS members who by that time, comprised seven archi- tectural technicians, a tracer and the only worker in the firms print shop. Remaining at work were the two partners and, of the employees, an associated architect, a cont- ract (self-employed) architect, a tracer and one of the technicians, also self-employed, whom had been instrumental in forming the union, but who subsequently resigned after being offereda salaried position by Nichols along with a hefty tax bill in cons- equence! Although confident that Nichols would find it difficult to replace their special skills in the Cleveland area, the strikers did what they could, within the law to ensure that it would be difficult for work to continue during the strike anyway. As they left the office on the Friday evening before the strike plan chests were locked, drawing equipment was locked away and the keys and parts of the print machine were hidden, Once outside, a continuous picket was mounted during working hours, complete with banners exp- laining the strike to passers by and to del- ivery drivers bringing supplies to the office, .o Almost ull deliveries were stopped and & drivers who were union members themsel- &, Ves asked to report the strike to their own < branches and press for the blacking of all ty deliveries to Nichols, Messages of support & helped to bolster the confidence of the strikers . ~” continued on p 13 women who are builders Of all the cliched impressions of the building industry one of the longest stand- ing must be the wolf-whistling response of building workers to women who venture pasta site, A group of feminists called Women in Construction have discovered, through actually working on site, that prejudice against women in the industry runs a lot deeper than chauvinist manif- estations from the other side of the site hoarding. Julia Wilson-Jones meets members of the group and discovers just how much ofa “man’s world” the industry is,and how difficult itisfor women to acquire building skills, espec- ally at a time of cut backs on Government training programmes. who would be active in what ever field they decided to work . One woman found that as an architect she was far removed from the actual practice of building. She felt much more sympathy with those building the buildings than those designing them, At Architectural School, the only time she thought she had learned anything was whn the students designed and buil-t asmall school extension themselves, Subsequently she has worked in a building co-op and has done labouring jobs for three months, After an eighteen month spell back on the ‘other side of the fence’ as an architect in an office specialising in rehabilitation, she has now decided to go back into construction and has been accepted for government funded Training Opportunities Scheme (TOPS) course to do carpentry, Another woman became involved through squatting and feelings of inadequacy and frustration at not being able to change a plug, let alone to the simple building tasks needed to make houses habitable. She was amazed at the hostility and objections she ran up against at the suggestion and at the obstacles put in the way of becoming trained and,once trained from the men on site as well as from the bosses, Realising that she has more chance of getting jobs ifshe isskilled she is now going on a TOPS course to do bricklaying. Another woman was an American Studies graduate and became interested in building through helping friends convert a house, She then did a TOPS course in carpentry and is now working for aDirect Labour Organisation. She has had alot of trouble persuading her boss to allow her to do a City and Guilds joinery course, It is virtually impossible for women to train as apprentices when they leave school, as no large firms are prepared to sponsor a woman, except possibly painting and decorating, many of which are family businesses, The most likely way a woman can train is through the TOPS course government retraining schemes, They offer a wide choice of courses, all available to womc.1, Lo qualify for a TOPS course you must be at least three years out of full time education, They are also designed to help ex prisoners or disabled people. A TOPS trainee must do six months at a special skills centre then an improvership of eighteen months, earning 85% to 90% of the basic wage, which increases every six months. Inevitably, when applying for a course women have been met with suspicion andagreat deal of incredulity - why didn’t they want to work as a secretary or hairdresser? Didn’t they realise that they were taking mens’ jobs in a time of recession? There is now a two year waiting list for TOPS courses and selection is based on whether of not candidates are likely to get a job at the end of their courses. Due to prejudice women will obviously have more difficulty than men in finding jobs, Government spending cuts have also affected the courses and have reduced theirnumbers. WIC know ten women who have done TOPS courses, and have heard of a further ten, None of the unions with members in the construction industry were able to give any statistics of how many women members they had. There are 96,800 women employed in the building industry as a whole but this includes clerks, secretaries, architects and canteen workers, To give some indication of the differences in numbers of men and women working on site the Construction Industry Training Board said that last year the applicants for their School Leavers New Entrants Training Scheme included 16 girls out of 700 boys, and only three» were finally accepted. The various schemes to help unemployment or redundancies such as Adopt a Boy!!! where grants are available for firms to take on apprentices no girls are included at all. Of the Unions UCATT was particularly condemned by its own woman research officer as being extremely chauvinistic and hostile to the idea of women working with them in construction, Their overtly sexist attitude is well illustrated in a film that was made on safety called ‘Heads You Loose’. When dealing with accidents involving heads and hands it showed a man’s head as being needed for “drinking and chatting up the birds” and his hands for caressing a woman’s legs. No wonder women find it difficult to be taken seriously. . barriers Not only do men believe that women cannot do certain jobs, but women them- selves are conditioned into accepting this view. Therefore, the majority of w~ assume that some types of work are ta unsuitable, and most school leavers would not dream of discussing the possibilities of construction with their careers officers or parents (and vice versa). However WIC know that once the barr- iers are broken down many women would enjoy a job where they can work outside and would find it far more rewarding to construct something and see the gradual completion of a project rather than to work asa telephonist or in a factory doing extremely dull and repetitive work. They have therefore had talks with school leavers to point out the advantages and encourage them to do the necessary train- ing. They are also making a video tape which will reach a wider audience, as it is being sold to the ILEA and various educ- ational authorities. However, they feel very frustrated at the small amount which can be achieved from one talk in the face of all the social pressures that will be exert- ed by parents, friends and school on any girl who likes the idea of doing construct- ion work. Many reasons are put forward as to why women are unsuitable; they are not strong or big enough, the wrong build, do not have enough stamina and won't be able to stand the scaffolding heights, WIC believe that rather than being a question of brute strength the problem of carrying bags of cement or large planks of wood is bettersolvedbyadoptingtherightapproach, and by using the right muscles. Due to conditioning, few girls are ever given the chance to find out how strong they really are, heavy tasks are always left for men to do; Once they had got used to the work involved, (or maybe fitter) women working in the construction industry in the Soviet Union have often proved themselves to be tougher, with more stamina, than their male counterparts, In fact one of the WIC members found herself being told to slow down, she was doing the job too fast and thus interfering with the men’s bonus sch schemes. Once trained the problems of actually getting a job are enormous, especially in an industry which already has a lot of unem- ployment. They were constantly finding that they were being refused jobs onasite where they knew work was available and then hearing that a man had been hired for the same job an hour later. Confidence was severely undermined by snide remarks about being a “lez” or “having some hor- mone problem”. When they eventually find a job they have to continually prove that they are as tough and as strong as the men, and not scared on the scaffolding. In fact each of them finds being up on the scaffolding with a bag of cement on their shouldersa terrifying ordeal especially when minimum safety measures are obs- erved. Ifanyone complains about safety they are considered a sissy, and immed- iately sacked if they refuse to work on the scaffolding. The other men on site are often extremely hostile, particularly the younger ones, They connot imagine their own mothers, sisters or girlfriends labouring so there must be something per- verse or peculiar about any woman who does, The other reaction is heavy patronising; most men feel threatened by the very idea of woman doing their work. Individually the men can be sym- pathetic after talking to the women about how they feel and why they are doing it but once back in the male pack are just as biggoted as before. Apprentice trained workers are generally hostile to TOP’s trained people as they have had a much shorter training (apprentiships used to be for 7 years, and are now for 3 to S years), and see them asa threat to their jobs. Hence they are even more antagonistic to women. Several men have demanded to know how a woman could accept this type of work knowing she was taking a job away from a man with wife and child- rento support. One of the women was actually sacked for swearing and lost her case when she challenged it through an Industrial Tribunal. Her boss agreed that she was a good worker but did not like being sworn at! cuts Women’s chances of employment are being further threatened by the cuts to direct labour, The Direct Labour Organisations are more likely to employ women, as they are more socially conciolis than are private contractors, and offer work to Improvers, Most of the TOP’s trained womenwereabletogetjobswiththeDLO’s but in view of the cuts this situation may well change. In fact, some DLO’s have said they are not going to take on any more Improvers, which will affect everyone, but especially women as they have virtually no other entry into the industry. Apprenticeships are also being drastically reduced, with the result that when the building industry picks up there will be very little skilled labour about, mainly a bunch of cowboys, doing very low standard work, support WIC think it is important to be incontact with other women inasimilar position and hold weekly meetings to discuss problems and and to give each other support. They had had a national conference which was surp- risingly well attended, and were able to set ip a register of women in traditionally male dominated trades in order to reach others in, or about to join, the industry, The register will be circulated to all women’s groups ard centres, Although they are in a sense doing pioneer work they dislike the sensational press treatment which has labelled them as heroic individuals struggling against such difficult odds that they must have great strength of mind and purpose. They know this does nothing to encourage other women if they feel they need to be exceptional characters, They rightly maintain that any woman who wants to isperfectly able to work in building and should not have to : uphill battle againstso many difficulties, LI A z —E DUN It is an uphill struggle and One in which they receive little encourage- -ment, They have, however, chosen to . WIC can be contacted at ;c/o 21 Bouverie Road, London, N.16. They are holding another conference in Leeds on the 22/23rd October and will be glad to hear from anyone who is interested in going. work in building because they enjoy practical work which is demanding and Tewarding. The women in WIC are all feminists Women in Construction (WIC) are a small group of women who are working in the construction industry as skilled workers and labourers, despite encountering obstacles and opposition from almost every side, They believe that women have the right to work in whatever field they choose and want to dispel the myth that the building industry in naturally an exclusively man’s world, and that women are mentally and physically incap able of working in it, SLATE4 page7 Steve Drewer argues that the crisis facing architectural workers is not a crisis of quantity but of structure. Ata time when there are ten times as many building labourers out of work than the total num- ber registered architects, architectural workers might do better by considering how better their skills can be deployed in society and in the industry than by attem- pting to defend their jobs within the exist- ing professional structure. What price architectural employment? During the last seven years the construction sector in the United Kingdom has suffered from an exagerated boom and the most severe and prolonged depression since the 1930s, This experience is not unique for other western European Countries have had similar experiences. What is probably uniqueisthemasochistic(orsadistic) satisfaction taken by the government in its refusal to stimulate any significant increase in construction output. The need for an increase in the public sector building programme isself-evident. What is of more importance is that in such a programme new work would have a disproportionate effect on the work available for architects. A private sector building boom does not generate many architectural vacancies, It is not the general level of demand which influences architect- -ural employment but its structure in terms of types of work and the clients feeding the demand to the sector. One of the main problems to be considered isthe confusion which exists as to what the functions of an architect are, or should be. France, witha signifi- -cantly larger building programme than this country makes do with approximately a quarter of the number of architects, The functions being currently performed by the majority of British architects would not be considered to be those of the architect in France and many other western countries, This is clearly a matter for the individual architect and the profession in general to deal with. But for the rest of us it would help if we knew more clearly the shape and inclinations of the animal with which we are dealing. Is it any more a matter to be deplored that the unemployed person is a graduate of the Architectural Association than a steelfixer? Perhaps the only justification for such an opinion is that steelfixers are more used to the vagaries of the construct- -ion sector than most architects. More significantly it should be remembered that the estimated number of manual construction workers presently unemployed is ten times the total number of registered architects in this country. construction activity was historically high, This was to some extent due to the damage to buildings during the war, post war reconstruction, and the enhanced social expectation with respect to housing schools,hospitalsetc. Atpeaklevels private speculative demand for offices, houses, shops etc, caused severe strain on the available construction resources, It is a consequence of this sustained high level of demand and the response of al the participants in the building process to this demand, the construction sector entered the depression in a manner analogous to the drunk who just “blew” the housekeeping. The low level of . apprentice training, the decline of crafts- men caused by over specialisation and the extensive use of lump labour were all symptoms of the state of the sector, During the depression there has been little stimulation to correct the situation and it seems unlikely that any significant increase in demand can be satisfied without major pressures on the supply of manage- -ment and labour. This isreinforced ifthe changing pattern of public sector housing demand isconsidered. The move from high-rise to low-rise and rehabilitation may well be socially and aesthetically desirable, but it is going to make demands for manual skills which are already severely limited. Even during this depression 0RYOU MRS. SNOBSON ANYTHING| I'LL HAVE YouR SAUNA PLANS READY FIRST THING IN nee MORNING! DON’T. FAIL ME J! contractors are finding it increasingly difficult to find carpenters, bricklayers, plasterers, etc, The joint effect of both the cautious attitude of the government to stimulate increased construction demand and the serious capacity constraints in many of the industries grouped together as construction, suggests that the future level of demand will not return to that of the 1960s, and most certainly not to that of the early 1970s, It could be that the architects of the 1970s are in a similar position to the social scientists of the late 1960s, That is there are just too many of them. Equally, of course, while not underestimating the problem of unemploy- -ment among architects, it seems that the time has come for architects to question the role of their profession with respect to social needs, and whether their skills may not be equally well employed outside those functions traditionally (and legally) considered as those of the architect. reassessment andintegration For many years “learned” people have been researching and discussing the need for greater inteyration of the construction process, and moves to facilitate communicat- -ion between members of the “building team’’. Professionalisation, as distinct from professionalism, is a device for controlling a set of work functions and those who execute them. Many of the barriers erected around certain functions due to professionalisation could be considered as anti-social, The price of architectural employment is likely to bea reassessment of the role of architect, the functions performed and the side of the construction equation in which they are involved, If Iwas an employed carpenter Imight not shed too many tears for the unemployed architect, but Ithink Iwould look forward to a future where the ‘architect’ was not just the person who turned up looking trendy for site meetings. and asked bloody foolishquestionsof the craftsmen, but was equally likely to be the site foreman or union I NAM peaks and troughs Between 1945 and 1972 the level of } | | | tear off and return to 9,Poland st,London,W1 NAM 1977 CONGRESS APPLICATION WIND, S500Q00S0000G0000"707 NAMI sioinisioieieisioieicleieisielsielaicinicicveieio! DDRESBastajalellerlereieieiolsielsisiere eieieios eoreoeseseceeesereressecresecesaces I enclose £5.00 congress fee and require accomodation donot : : I require bed and breakfast accomodation @ £2.50. per night per persoi 1/2 nights single/double PTOLAT icicle ccccie 50p per night I enclose a cheque payable to the New Architecture Movement forthefollowingamount crieeRe construction in crisis: wh 1977CONGRESS APPLICATION organiser, SEA lite SLATE 4 page 8 ARCHIE TEKT' The 3rd annual congress of the New Architecture Movement will be taking place on the weekend of the 25th,26th and 27th november 1977.This years event will be the 3rd NAM congress following the inaugural congress at Harrogater in 1975,and Blacikpd61 in 1976.The hosts for this year are the Hull group of NAM in conjunction with the Hull School of Architecture. : ; The congress of '77 concludes a year of'action'dur which NAM has emerged as a force within the architectural world.Much of.this'action'has stemed from the researches and and discussions carried out by NAM groups during 1976 which were aired and refined at the Blackpool congress. These'actions'include the following, NAM's May Unionisation Conference which chose T.A.8.S. within which to organise architectural workers. NAM's Unionisation groups report'Working for What'. NAM's presence in ARCUK representing the unattached Salaried architect. NAM's newspaper 'Blate' the only radical paper for architectural workers. These public expressions of NAM as well as the less publicised ones are the issues around which NAM groups” form to work on.The groups which have issues clarified enough to present a working paper use the congress workshops to enlarge the discussion and to put forward motions for the congress to adopt. Workshops so far proposed for this years congress cover; EDUCATION ,NATTONAL DESIGN SERVICE ,UNIONISATION, ARCUK, WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURES SLATE!CONSTITUTION, A fuller list of workshop options will be included in the final briefing package. I require the alternative accomodation @ \ 1/2 nights DOTA cieielecleieiste Steve Drewer argues that the crisis facing architectural workers is not a crisis of quantity but of structure. Ata time when there are ten times as many building labourers out of work than the total num- ber registered architects, architectural workers might do better by considering how better their skills can be deployed in Society and in the industry than by attem- pting to defend their jobs within the exist- ing professional structure. What price architectural employment? During the last seven years the construction sector in the United Kingdom has suffered from an exagerated boom and the most severe and prolonged depression since the 1930s. This experience is not unique for other western European Countries have had similar experiences, What is probably unique is the masochistic (or sadistic) satisfaction taken by the government in its refusal to stimulate any significant increase in construction output. The need for an increase in the public sector building programme is self-evident. What is of more importance is that in such a programme new work would have a disproportionate effect on the work available for architects. A private sector building boom does not generate many architectural vacancies, It is not the general level of demand which influences architect- -ural employment but its structure in terms of types of work and the clients feeding the demand to the sector. One of the main problems to be considered is the confusion which exists as to what the functions of an architect are, or should be. France, witha signifi- -cantly larger building programme than this country makes do with approximately a quarter of the number of architects, The functions being currently performed by the majority of British architects would not be considered to be those of the architect in France and many other western countries. This is clearly a matter for the individual architect and the profession in general to deal with. But for the rest of us it would help if we knew more clearly the shape and inclinations of the animal with which we are dealing. Is it any more a matter to be deplored that the unemployed person is a graduate of the Architectural Association than a steelfixer? Perhaps the only justification for such an opinion is that steelfixers are more used to the vagaries of the construct- -ion sector than most architects. More significantly it should be remembered that the estimated number of manual construction workers presently unemployed is ten times the total number of registered architects in this country. peaks and troughs Between 1945 and 1972 the level of construction activity was historically high, This was to some extent due to the damage to buildings during the war, post war reconstruction, and the enhanced social expectation with respect to housing schools,hospitalsetc. Atpeaklevels private speculative demand for offices, houses, shops etc, caused severe strain on the available construction resources, It is a consequence of this sustained high level of demand and the response of all the participants in the building process to this demand, the construction sector entered the depression ina manner analogous to the drunk who just “blew” the housekeeping. The low level of apprentice training, the decline of crafts- men caused by over specialisation and the extensive use of lump labour were all symptoms of the state of the sector, During the depression there has been little stimulation to correct the situation and it seems unlikely that any significant increase in demand can be satisfied without major pressures on the supply ofmanage- -ment and labour. This is reinforced if the changing pattern of public sector housing demand is considered. The move from high-rise to low-rise and rehabilitation may well be socially and aesthetically desirable, but it is going to make demands for manual skills which are already severely limited. Even during this depression PLANS READY FIRST THING IN re MORNING! DON’T FAIL ME J! contractors are finding it increasingly difficult to find carpenters, bricklayers, plasterers, etc. The joint effect of both the cautious attitude of the government to stimulate increased construction demand and the serious capacity constraints in many of the industries grouped together as construction, suggests that the future level of demand will not return to that of the 1960s, and most certainly not to that of the early 1970s, It could be that the architects of the 1970s are in a similar position to the social scientists of the late 1960s, That is there are just too many of them, Equally, of course, while not underestimating the problem of unemploy- -ment among architects, it seems that the time has come for architects to question the role of their profession with respect to social needs, and whether their skills may not be equally well employed outside those functions traditionally (and legally) considered as those of the architect. Local Authority design departments have often enjoyed the reputation of being in the vanguard of Architectural culture. Douglas Smith isless easily convinced of this than some of us, Here he describes how Council Architect’s departments have become executors of Central Government policy and how often these policies have been tailored to prop up private sector interests in development and construction, Local Authority housing -the politics of form Local Authorities, and the buildings they produce are not determined by the political wishes of councillors, or by the local people they represent. Council housing isnationally coordinated by Central Government in order toserveandmaintain theinterestsof property investors and the building industry. The following article attempts to demonstrate this and how the system intimately affects working architects, ignores the wishes of the consumer and how policy at high level is translated into bricks and mottar. The building industry, because it requires heavy investment which cannot realise profits for several years, is very sensitive to market conditions and confidence. It therefore responds quickly. and very extremely, to the boom/slump cycles of the Stock Market, more so than most other industries. These extremes of activity are not only generally unaceptable to workers and tenants, who tend to suffer at ‘both ends’, but are also dsruptive to the needs of finance capital in general. It is here that the State intervenes in order to try to smooth out the cycles, create a more balanced and predictable market to maintain investment and activity and to reinforce its own political position by averting revolt. ‘The State in general, and the Local Authorities in particular, have an enormous stake in the building industry. Local Authorities alone spent over £2 000m in 1974 on capital expenditure. This represents about 60% of the total output of the industry. Their money is t: used, not only to maintain activiti of slump, but also to maintain profitability and investment in the property market. It also responds to the housing demands of workers, recognising the need fora healthy workforce. Left to itself the land market would force workers to live in dangerous, unhealthy slums, would encourage wild speculation and give rise to spectacular bankruptcies with all the attendant financial problems. State spending not only encourages private accumulation of wealth, and there- -fore indirectly contributes to production, but also helps to maintain social harmony. This latter, unproductive ‘ideological’ spending helps the State maintain its role of supporting the social order. Both these elements are clearly expressed in Local Authority building projects. local government Local Authorities have developed inthe last 100 years, and especially since recent reorganisation and the introduction of corporate management ,more and more as local agents for Central Government. As they have become integrated into the State aparatus, taking on more work, Local Authorities have lost their individual character, become more technocratic,and have ‘castrated’ their councillors. The two main devices used by Central Government to control Local Authority housing are the Department of the Ehviron- -men t’s Housing Cost Yardstick and the same Department’s standards (including Parker Morris standards, etc.,). These are basically budget and form, or economic and ideological, controlling systems. The require- -ment of the other housing consultative departments, Housing Management and Planning, are made subservient to the DoE’s tules; not unnaturally, since the DoE sanctions the spending. State policy in housing is continually changing and for a variety of reasons. Its main response is to the prevailing economic winds; in order to maintain profits for private capital, its intervention in the industry reflects current market forces. YES 1 KNOW, On the other hand, in the face of worsening housing conditions and increased tenants’ activity, it must try to reduce the cost and be seen to be providing adequate housing in increasing volume. Following on from this. it can also disguise the faults of the system and appeal to progress by introducing new, ‘progressive policies’, promising to solve the problems arising from previous policies. In an overall way, the DoE appeals to those believing that a good solution to the ‘environment’ would eradicate most social problems, and when these problems recur it offers new solutions, and hence detracts from the real, fundamental causes of social di t, ment, i education and medical care, the nuclear family and so on. The history of Local Authority housing in the last twenty years illustrates the centrally controlled nature of housing economics and ideology, and how this has adapted to market forces and how the public has beeen conned into believing in its benefits. historical perspective Following the economic and material destruction of the Second World War, the then Labour Government put responsibility for housing on the shoulders of the Local Authorities. Its intention was to try to eradicate the previous social divide between public and private housing (during this period it limited severely all private building operations) as part of the foundation of the new new Welfare State. Local Authorities were obliged, through the system of subsidies. to fol low the Housing Manuals (published by the Ministry of Health!), and, without any \pretension, simply attempted to build as many houses as cheaply as possible, usually under the direction of the Borough Engineer or Surveyor. Bold experiments were mad in using obsolete wartime industrial processes, but since the building industry was more interested in conventional, marketable housing they failed. As the economy recovered in the early sixties and profits were being squeezed, the bulding industry was still disjointed and unable to invest, without State help, in new ;plant and personnel to undertake modern reassessment °° andintegration For many years “learned” people have been researching and discussing the need for greater inteyration of the construction process, and moves to facilitate communicat- -ion between members of the “‘building team”. Professionalisation, as distinct from professionalism, is a device for controlling a set of work functions and those who execute them. Many of the barriers erected around certain functions due to professionalisation could be considered as anti-social. The price of architectural employment is likely to be a reassessment of the role of architect, the functions performed and the side of the construction equation in which they are involved, If Iwas an employed carpenter Imight not shed too many tears for the unemployed architect, but I think I would look forward to a future where the ‘architect’ was not just the person who turned up looking trendy for site meetings. and asked bloody foolishquestionsof the craftsmen, but was equally likely to be the site foreman or union Lf alam organiser. SIAl —E i' AND /'Lt BE LATE FOR THE RIBA CON- construction in crisis: what itmeans to architecture ARCHIE TEKT| SLATE 4 page 8 SLATE 4 page 9 \ Angus building techniques. On the other hand the Government, w ithout wishing to raise the cost of building, wished, under popular pressure, to improve standards. Following the success of the Hertfordshire and CLASP schools, the government neatly combined these two needs by encouraging Local Authorities to build tower blocks for housing. This would help the industry industrialise, rationalise and eventually reduce costs, while still ensuring its short term profitability. Parker Morris & high rise It was also at this time that the limit), reinforcing the market trends to push families Out of cities to the suburbs, stimulating demand in exactly the right ‘place for spec. builders to make a good profit. Parker Morris report was published. Without challenging any of the existing attitudes to lifestyle, family or community relationships it Subsidies. The wiley old DoE anticipated this proposed housing reforms and rules still in existence today, 16 years later. The report heralded +the ‘consumer age’, explicitly defining the house as a wharehouse for durables for each family. Who would buy need nearly two years ago, when it changed parts of the subsidy an d altered its standards to prepare for backdoor cuts. It is quite interesting to note in detail how small alterations in the Yardstick and standards have a fundamental effect on form and a car or a dishwasher if there was nowhere to put it. It proposed effectively isolating family implement cuts, again all under the cover of units at the expense of communal facilities where they might be shared. The State emphatically demanded the family, and its home as the basic and social economic unit. With this now ell defined, the way was cpen to stack up the units in any method suited to the building industry or government Subsidie's for housing were changed, allowing extra money for every storey height, with the result that local authorities al over the country, regardless of particular needs or desires, with no research or experie5nce and with no perception of the consequences, switched from traditional models to building time. A simpler demonstration of the effect of the universal effect of centralised policy in housing would be hard to find. Not surprisingly the benefits never appeared. Having tooled up the industry and stimulated the market builders were now well prepared to enter the more profitable commercial sctors of building. The step from As a result the cost of this type of housing ‘improving’ housing. Thses revisions were firstly, the imposition of a maximum density limit (75ppa for families, 100ppa for non- -family housing), and secondly that all family units should be on the ground, The Yardstick, while not being uplifted (!) badly housed. -duced in 1968, removed the aditional disaster at Ronan Point, and subsequent towards a new from. Incidentally, it has been argued that tower blocks are emminently suitable for some types of tenant, if not for families, yet so total has the Government's volte face been that it is now impossible to build them high density low rise By the early seventies it was realised that demanded by the DOE is almost the same in the suburbs, hit hard by the recession transfer to and survive in the public sector, The recently appointed head of DOE policy group, came directly from Laing Homes, The prevailing excuses are not only that people are happy in their suburban houses but that they are also cheap to build. The reduction in permissable density not only reduces the total volume of housing, but also increases the proportion of site costs attributable to each unit, now subject to strict scrutiny. In urban areas, persuades them to accept the standard Tunning and maintenance problems, highlyindustrialbuildingtechniqueswereno wherelandhasbeenboughtathighprices, longer applicable to housing. But the industry, or on small sites which cost a lot to develop Ban” idea experience for other architectural workers andforNAM © the industries profits would survive. The new <t of siutably cheap sites. Though much more A flexible than before, the predominant form encouraged by the subsidies came out as high density/low rise. Schemes were built on quite a modest scale, and many are highly acclaimed. The Parker Morris standards were still adopted, but the DoE made aditional requirements, especiallt over car parking. At first it insisted on 100% undercover car parking incongruous in urban areas as were tower and paid for it, but later this was dropped. blocks in rural areas, and the persistent More recently, the last economic recession has requirement for large scale development, development, the supportforthe campaign anda brief explanation of the Green Ban idea. The broadsheet was distributed through all the local TV branches, schools as well as the people of the city. The campaign was featured in the local and national press, many magazines and journals and on Radio Birmingham. The 24 hour occupation of a giant crane on an adjoining site in support of the campaign was featured on television. During the summer of last year alter- native proposals were formulated by the committee for the use of the building. NAM gained access to survey the building. During October afeasability study was prepared by NAM, using the results of the survey, to study the re-use and conversion of the post office as a city centre recreation and leisure centre. In November a delegation representing GBAC, the West Midlands TUC, and the Victorian Society met with the City Council and the Post Office Board -a meeting resulting from pressure mounted by GBAC. The aim was to discuss objec- tions of the proposed redevelopment of the GPO site. The Leader of the City Council (now Tory) refused to consider re-voting planning consent, and left it to the postal board to make any concessions. But in spite of detailed arguments about Birming- ham’s heritage, about planning for people instead of profits, and about the huge over provision of office space, the Postal Board remained totally fixed in its determination to demolish the GPO and build offices. GBAC has been able to facilitate links between trade unions and environmentalists on wider issues. For example between Friends of the Earth and the Edinburgh and Scottish National Union of Miners over opposition to the proposed Lothian nuclearpowerstation.InJanuary,aone day conference was held at the AUEW Hall in Birmingham when workshops were held onthebuiltenvironment(inwhichNAM took part), transport and the car industry, water pollution and strategies for change. GBAC has links with FOE, SERA, Science for People group at Aston University, Lucas Aerospace Shop Stewards Committee. During the winter NAM prepared out- line proposals for the use of the post office building as a leisure centre and these were presented in the form of drawings and diagrams at the first AGM of the GBAC on March 16 where they received unanimous approval. Following on from the meeting the alternative plan was brought before the UCATT regional committeeiand a resolution of support was passed.TheproposalswereBroughtupat the next Birmingham Trades Council meeting, received considerable support from the delegates anda resoltion of support. At the AGM of the West Midlands TUC the proposals received the unanimous approval from officials of just about all the unions in the West Midlands. why NAM is involved GBAC seek from NAM technical advice, in return NAM istaking part in a revolution- ary and historic departure in the develop- ment of the British trade union movement. been cushioned for the building industry by the continuation of Local Authority housing programmes, most of which have only recently been cut back. At the moment the Government is cutting back on Stae expenditure in order to return the money to private hands. As well as limiting actual wages it is reducing that part of the social wage represented by the housing will ensure that the new estates stand apart from the existing urban fabric. A survey in Camden showed that the main complaint of tenants was that they dislike living in well defined estates, separate from local streets, Perhaps it is too early to evaluate the social effects of suburban housing in cities, but one can be confident that the form will not be satisfactory for long. As the market is stimulated, prices and cost will rise, and the industry kept ticking over by LA work, builders will head for the better profits in the suburbs, the DOE will declare new policy for dealing with the problems of public housing to suit new emerging problems in the industry, and the tenants will still be . future pointers As we head towards another phase of policy it is worth noting that there are several emerging factors which may effect housing in the future. Firstly the introduction of block grants, a limit up to which each LA can sye~ i, This would not only transfer admim~ stion and respons- -ibility to,the love sufficiently to cover inflation, also imposed maximum limits on site development costs. A third type of change was made in that new procedures and approval request stages were introduced, which slowed down the 4¢eVv¢lopmen.t procecess while inflati asTac’ while inflation was racing ahead. These three components radically y to,the locale 21,but may also be affect not only the form of new Local Viable sites for building, but also reduce the volume of and unit cost, and, in al effect cuts by technical, rather than political means. back to spec housing While these cuts are dressed in the thetoric of improving standards; and who families, and lower buildings are bad, in seen as freeing councils from sume VOE control, and its attendant bureaucracy, This scheme was delayed, the DOE wanted to shed some of its workload, but could not allow policy implementation to be threatened. The latest suggestion is that the DOE actually retains all its procedures and controlling devices, lumbering the councils with even more administrative tasks, The second idea is one of tenants self management (Haringey experiment), and their involvement in the design stage. The‘softcop’architectconvincestenants of the need and logic of DOE housing, hereareotherunderlyingeffectswhich are perhaps potentially unsatisfactory, especially when the formulae are applied GLC wasstillconductingsurveystoshowthat tenants actually liked tower blocks, Central Government had recognised their financial failure.TheHousingCostYardstick,intro- tourbanareas,Theformofhousingnow forms,andleavesthetenantswithallthe NewPostOFrice FrontEtevation—— This new form of housing isoften as Cooperation between professional and site workers has not hitherto character- ised the building industry, _ Two NAM members who have worked closely with Birmingham based Green Ban Action Committee describe the development of the campaign to save Victoria Square Post Office mounted by local building union shop stewards, Friends of the Earth and the Victorian Society. They show the of the splendid Victorian post office in the city centre, a Liberal councillor presented a detailed history of the planning consent for the demolition of the post office and the proposed redevelopment. Amid the subsequent enthusiasm of the various trades unionists, environment- alists and preservationists present, the suggestion was taken up to formajoint committee to launch a Green Ban Move- _ ment in this country, thestoryso far The first actions of the committee were tostartapetition(whichcollected 20,000 signatures), hold a public rally, and to seek resolutions of support from the trade unions, such as EEPTU, AUEW- TASS, ASTMS, NUPE, NALGO, UCATT, TGWU. Support was forthcoming from local MPs, and County and City councillors. Following the rally in March 1976, NAM was asked to prepare a planning report on the implications of the redevel- opment with respect to the city and the financial return that was to be expected. Part of the report reappeared in the first Green Ban Action Committee's broadsheet which listed the arguments against the potential for the expansion of the “Green and draw lessons from their tower block housing all at more or less the same Authority housing and limit the mumber of tower block housing to offices was an easy one, Could argue lower densities, gardens for actually rose, rather than fel. In 1968, while the ‘Me face of criticism of previous forms? subsidies for tal housing blocks, well before the #5 that being built by private developers complaints about endemic social problems, Thes@"4 poor market, and now able to its tower block policy and its financial failure oYardst icksubsidies simply gave more money for those sites back to private developers, & high densities and expensive sites; building land working against the proclaimed ©. was becoming expensive to develop ,and the ~ Government did not want Local Authority a building programmes to be held up for the lack result that less family houses (lower factors helped the Government retreat from The third factor is the relaxation of Parker Morris standards (already allowed to a limited extent to encourage modular dimensioning), to reduce space standards, already pretty low. This would then now stagnation after the last boom, needed the housing in this form, and there is no other State to maintain high building activity, so that choice, is quite unviable. Local allow councils more option of using package deals from private developers using their Own standard models, and to further buy unsold housing from the privatemarket, neither of which usually conform to the Parker Morris standards, Behind all this there is still the continuing ideological investment in owner occupation as the normal mode of housing. Many studies have shown that not only is this unavail- -able to 50% of the population, but the market cannot allow it to be otherwise. Briefly, as wages go up, and mortgages become more accessible, so house prices tise to above the level that 50% can afford. Or alternatively, as more houses are built, Prices and profits threaten to drop and activity ischannelled elsewhere. Besides this, the type of housing most urgently required can never be built profitably, and continued on p. 15 AND ETHERGREENEEAN intentions of the Community Land Act. The variable density limitations have the density limit) are being built inpreference of non family housing (higherdensity Authorities must now consider selling Federation has been closely identified with the Green Bans in Australia in which building workers were able to take indus- The New South Wales Building Labourers trial‘action for environmental Purposes. Jack Munday, their former General Secretary, who was in Britain in January 1976 at the invitation of the Centre for Environmental Studies, was asked to speak on the Australian experience at a public meeting in Birmingham. At the meeting, organised by people SLATE 4page 11 The necessity for links between NAM and the trade unions cannot be overstressed NAM’s campaign to unionise architectural workers was established as a major priority of NAM’s second Congress at Blackpool. These. wider links not only strengthen NAM’s hand in its negotiations but add credibility in its forthcoming cam- paign. But in addition, in NAM’s future campaigns, for example for the reform of ARCUK, it may well need to mobilise trade union support to give it political muscle. It should be understood that the work for the campaign has been undertaken by only four people and has assumed a secon- dary role in our primary involvement with NAM's issue groups, but it is the beginning of a test-bed for some of NAM’s ideas and possible future policies. Through the work we have begun to establish links with other groups such as SERA and FOE and we have become involved in and contributed to other campaigns and issues, for example asbestos, safety on building sites, the role and structure of the building industry. It is also a first step in building the new clientele, that is an alternative system of patronage. develop in them some political conscious- ness. the role of NAM Our role is fourfold: 1) To make a technical study of the GPO building, report on its structure and fabric and assess its possibilities for re-use and conversion, and to assess the proposals of the GBAC. 2) To organise in physical and theoretical terms a strategy that would reconcile many disparate functions together with several sponsoring organisations, variable forms of financing and phasing of the conversion. 3) To identify areas of study to be undertaken by others; for example we have proposed that a financial feasibility of the alternative plan be carried out. 4) Propaganda: by using drawings, diagrams and other means to demonstrate to working people the possibilities of re-using the building, and to strengthen the support already given to the campaign by the trade unions by canvassing viable alternatives. future perfect In conclusion it must be clearly stated communist party rally at Alexandra Palace, are perhaps untypical. In other words it would be not so much immodest, as inaccurate to describe our association with GBAC as ‘community architecture’. It is precisely such inhibitions which provide the challenge. There are sound theoretical reasons why NAM has not dissipated its energy in umpteen local projects, but concentrated on broader analysis and structural change. In the meantime, however, many of NAM’s most active members continue in regular jobs becoming increasingly aware ofa widening gap between their practise and their beliefs. The process of reconciling the former to the latter is a personal jour- ney that each architectural worker must make for themselves. The professional habits formed in ten years of practise -or even the professional expectations formed in seven years of training -will not change over night. They will be eroded, modified, transformed over long years of self-questioning and reeduca- tion. The work with GBAC has proved as good a point of departure as any, It may be already too late to save the victorian post office in Birmingham. This would be sad, but it would not be the end of the story -rather the beginning. For it will mark the first step in the difficult but inside Yarm continued from p. 6 This display of industrial strength was enough to get Nichols to call in the local branch of the Government's strike solving arm, the Advisory and Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), but ittook the intervention of the firm’s principal client, the DHSS, before a settlement was reached, TASS’ local officials had taken the early initiative of writing to David Ennals, Minister of Health, pointing out that wage levels at Nichols were about half those in departments doing similar work inside the DHSS. __ Either one of two conclusions could be drawn; Nichols was making inordinate profits out of govern- ment contracts, or the DHSS was getting cut price work done at the expense of low paid architectural workers, ‘These sugg; estions appear to have caused Ennals considerable embarrassment sufficient to lead him to write, within the week, to Nichols telling him to “get those people of the streets”, referring to the pickets, Three meetings were held with ACAS during the strike, At the first Ron Long- worth pursuaded ACAS to accept TASS’s proposals in principal as their return to work formula, © Nichols held out however and came to the second meeting with his own proposals, ‘Longworth found Nichols so obstructive at this second meeting that he walked out after less than five minutes anditwasnotuntilaweeklater,onthe “neutral ground” of the local labour ex- change, that agreement was reached ona somewhat diluted parcel of good intentions, But not least of al it contributes to a broader image of NAM. NAM is primarily that in substance, if not in spirit, REVIEW OF THE LEVELLER AND WEDGE Thislastyearhasseentheemergenceoftwo Italianfreeradioandamongothers,the political but our involvement does help to belie the accusation that we do not actually get our hands dirtyand begin to practise what we preach, It may even attract architectural workers who are more receptivetodrawingsandtechniqueand photo: roles do not yet differ radicatly from con- ventional architectural services. Neither is the relationship with the ‘client’ espec- ially innovative, although such activities as designing and building (and manning) theGBAC’s propagandastandattherecent exciting process of .tadicalising ourselves a andeachother. cAt = two new independent socialist publications which are unlike anything that has been seenaroundforalongtime.Justovera year ago now the ‘Leveller Cooperative’ produced its first, ‘pilot issue’, featuring a report by Mark Hosenball and Philip Agee on British Intelligence involvement in Angola, which went on in the Levellers’ words to ‘catch the eye of Merlyn Rees’ and lead, in turn, to the campaign for imigrants’ rights based around the deportation orders on the two journalists, in which the Leveller itself played a leading role. Besides equally trenchant pieces of investigation, in the “radical journalist’s style”, into political chicanery and military brutality in Northern Ireland, among others, it has carried more analytic articles on the contradictions in Tony Benn’s worker cooperative policies, exploitation in the fashion trade, the politics of the baking industry and the wages for house work campaign. Of direct interest to architectural workers was an investigation of polution problems in the neighbourhood of the London Brick Company’s plant in Bedfordshire. Less easily accused of dealing in radical hell-raising for its own sake is the first issue ofa new quarterly called ‘Wedge’ - a “magasine of cultural practice and theory” Wedge’s genesis as the coming together of two groups, students from Kent University who had in minda theoretical journal dealing with Marxist cultural analysis, and people who work in “cultural production” (the cinema, journalism, advertising and so on) who wanted apublication around first part of an article by Jennifer Jones, an architect and founder member of Skillpool, whichdemonstrateshowthedevelopment of domestic architecture has paralleled. if not been determined by, the evolution of the family structure from an egaliterian integrated unit of production in Medieval times, to the present day, when production is entirely outside the home and the house is seen as a male-dominated centre of re-production. Jennifer Jones argues that the very design of houses has come to encapsulate and reinforce the secondary role into which contermporary society forces the majority of women. Both the Leveller and Wedge are collectively edited and produced by committees working almost entirely in their spare time and are non-sectarian in their editorial policies. The Leveller has also developed a degree of readership control through its constitution as a registered Cooperative Friendly Society, of which al subscribers are members and entitiled to vote at annual general meetings on al aspects of the journal’s policy. At its recent second AGM the Leveller decided to publish monthly from September and has launched an appeal for further “founding subscribers” to capitalise its expansion. THE LEVELLER :Published monthly by the Leveller Magasine Ltd., 155a Drummond Street, London NW1; single copies 35p; annual subscription £5.00 post paid. WEDGE: Published quarterly from 30, Hornsey Park Road, London N7; 56pp; single copies 75p; subscription rate not yet announced; distribution from 56a Shirland Road, London W9. Both magasines are also distributed by the ications Distribution Coop; 27 Cl Close, London ECI. London NW1; 36pp; single copies 35p; annual subscription £5.00 post paid. BriamMoauthéus-CnaunmonofWestNvidhandsTU.C-mntowerofGreenBamBannateFurblicry Concretegainsforthestrikersarerest- ticted to an across the board pay rise of 10%, better at least than Nichols earlier \ ] and offers, and promises of consultations over staff grading, overtime pay and holidays, and ,most important, union recognition, While TASS claims that there is de facto recognition anyway, Nichols intends to give his “answer” in four months’ time. Hopefully all the TASS members will be able to maintain their determination that long in the face of continuing pressure from Nichols, On the positive side relations in the office are friendlier than they were before the strike, work is less pressured and the union members have gained a great deal of confidence, They have realised their collective strength and will certainly feel less timid and circumspect the next time there is an issue to raise with their employer. Although it has been moderately succ- essful for the workers at Nichols, the story of the Yarm strike holds cautionary lessons for other architectural workers. The strike was not won, in the end, by industrial strength but by touching the nerve ends of a leading politician, This was possible as much because the strikers, with TASS’s advice, were able to win the sympathy of the local press, as it was due to the accept- ance of the “justice” of their cause by Ennals Ennals, Faced with an employer with better public relations skills and political contacts, industrial strength may prove to be of greater importance in future union negotiations in architects offices and when that time comes it will have to be sought from other groups of workers who will Want to know how architectural workers see their work developing to Al i which to base the organisation of workers in their field, gave rise to a two part magasine in which the central section “Art Attacks”, carries news from paigi like Music for Socialism and against cuts in the theatre. The more theoretical remainder of Wedge features the Press, SLATE 4 page 12 SLATE 4 page 13 be of more social use. JZ! A ijE DROPOUT Hot on the heels of the recent clésure of Art Net, home of Peter Cook’s wine and architecture parties, news that the Architects Revolutionary Council is to of cards that isarchitectural professionalism would collapse, social benefits and al, if the fixed fee scale went. His bluff is about to be called. NAM’s London Group sent a report to the Monopolies Commiss- National Meeting of the Women in Construction and Manual Trades Group Contact: WIC, c/o, 21, Bouverie Rd., London, N.16. <x COAZeseeEes2 255 gas Seez2i eee BSG negs Gee Zea E28 222 08 & Se 2z && 28 of MO ES Spyee(2). pa! rethink its policies too. A gold watch for -ion * pointing out that the RIBA offered architectural thought and action must go to Brian Anson of ARC, whose sometime confusions are generously offset by his determination. ARC’s stentorian attacks on the RIBA will be no more, which is a pity because they opened a few eyes and gave voice to the feelings of many architectural workers. ARC got together intheheydayofdeveloperboominthe early seventies when the RIBA was clearly identified with the rape of the city centres and the destruction of working class neighbourhoods. Things are different now that the RIBA is dabbling in so-called ‘community architecture’ and the developers are slumbering, for a little while longer at least, as Capital organises the conditions for anew boom. Anson’s reported as believing that “the RIBA recognises the importance of community work”, Quite how that can be when its now more worthy leaders are aquiescing to massive cuts in the amount and standards of public housing and social building, especially in their much-beloved rehabilitation work, he doesn’t make clear. ARC, where are you now that the issues are not quite so black-and-white? RED RAG Slate has recently benefitted from constructive criticism of the Red Scare variety from a London Region trade union official who said that he hoped that the LondonBuildingDesignStaffbranchof TASS wasn’t about to get up to any of that “extreme leftism” promulgated through thatNAM newsletter. Those who seered when reading our pages should take off their rose-coloured spectacles. CIRCLES There's arumour going around that the long awaited Monopolies Commission report on Architects Fees has already been sent to the RIBA, and it looks as none too favourable to them. The mandatory minimum fee scale has been detlared monopolistic, we hear from a friendofa friendofaninfluentialRIBA Council member. We’re lucky, some of the Slater’s friends who work on the more takes more than an icing of Rod Hackney style “community architecture” to convince the Commission otherwise. But, who knows, the RIBA Council may be breathing asigh of relief, after al, they can now say to their membership, how can you have competition in fees without Councillors ,also at -Leeds -ithNovember, Birmingham - 15th November, Hull - 24th November, Contact; Unattatched Architect Councillors, c/o 73, Hallam St., London, W.1. 2nd November - London Junior Liaison Organisation Seminar “Trades Unionism for the Building Professions” possibly to sold off are the ‘profitable’ ones, leaving most estates to continue as rump housing. Much of the work of LA architects is involved in the translation of DOE policy into built form, interpreting new require- -ments and making cuts to fit the budget, It is necessary first to establish the ground rules, and expert DOE liaison officers, usuallyQSs,adviseonbasicformalrequire- <> -ments, juggle with densities, site areas, cautious trade journals have been ringing everyone they can think of to get an official indication of what’s going on, and have got nowhere. This isn’t surprising. The Institute’s Council must be running around in circles trying to work out what todo next and isn’tabout toletanyone stealamarch overthem. RIBA members have just let the Council know, quite clearly DIARY llth October - London TASS London Building Design Staff Branch Branch Meeting, PCL Students Union, 104-108, Bolsover St., London,W.1. 6.30pm -also on 8th November n aJ3s aoge a ; i atBeye a8 just what they think of the advertising idea. What will they say when they find thattheotherbastionofprofessionalism, thefixedfeescale,isbreached? Youcan ConferenceofSocialistPlanners Ohig3armascuesRene.aneOS a:8 332 Gee z a eae Sst z a ae mea oF: B Be be sure of some fast talking from Andrew Contact: CSP, 54, Addison Gardens, London, Derbishireatthisyear’sRIBAconference. W.14, He was the one who told the Monopolies Commission,amongothers,thatthehouse 22nd-23rdOctober-Leeds Ss SEPStesss ees Fe LSSESE nee ee ese g1 62582 =3aBe5 <—KBs advertising to advise the consumer about whoisundercuttingwho?Answerson PicadillyHotel,2.00pm,fee:£2.00 ; ed TYPICAL! O} the backof a glossy brochure, with price list to the Slater. * NAM Report to the £1.00 post paid from NAM, 9 Poland Street, London W1 Contact: The Secretary, The Institute of Structural Engineers, l,Upper Belgrave St., London, S.W.1. 25th -27th November - Hull New Archi M -Third National Congress, Hull School of Architecture, fee £5.00 Contact: NAM; 9 Poland St., London, W.1. housing mix, ancillary uses, open space, roads, access and other factors to extract maximum benefit from the Yardstick calculation, This is then negotiated with planners and Housing departments and feasability is ascertained, There is much cliff hanging suspense as the DOE officers study, evaluate and approve the feasibilty within the interpretations of latest policy, and then approve the budget, Already well outlined ,the scheme is then presented to council for approval, in terms so technical and bureaucratic, no criticism can be mounted or sustained. Chief architects are very sensitive to the DOE, any contradictions, misunderstand- -ings or wilful interpretations can invalidate a design, abort the scheme and threaten the housing programme. Councillors also appreciate the need to go along with accurately, quickly and uncomplainingly. rt jPortanyPuc THEYVE GOT THEIR FEES YOv NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN / ies Ce si NAM Publ Gp -lendera He nye 2dthin and wowld be very grolefd ( yon world There were one or two monuments, like Stonehenge, but they were probably put there by visiting Martians \............ [ BannisterFletcher, “Fell avaitasteNEW! FromNAM Stud me 5Seapts of cachof Ha Pow thee issues. ‘SuiLDINGS ics iL Ropeeventual botalkerOnor SawlvCeem | Kop y e fow Edinburg Booty Crladwe when hos Gear cece o LehPockrop|nreermg Mae:'Frstatthay 2S NQWeas St, efi T_ (31-557-1248) In amaced ak how Twan Architecture Calendar. Name Address Please rush me the 1978 New = 22nd October -Leeds cee Seoc sae Safer s 31st October -London longservicetothecauseofleftwing thepublicahollowbargain......itapparantlySurgeryforUnattatchedArchitectswithARCUK thegap.Theonlycouncilhousesthatcould Edinsven 3 26 Ialy ae a }, Ms 62s borwads VAM FEEP-} OA T2a aie a 2 e e ta tae z eae ues bso ss qf Pe ara Ge 4 ro 23 ota po o a 5 5 aoe s 2. ce = > z hat oe 3 eZ ae AS eS sg € Bs Bits s 5 Guna cua 39 ye i ei 5a rer O (8 peeeeeoes: Gen a EOeeu euteomc2Ainge eae elENCenaie Se See Leonie oie Oo s2Séeeeamgee = aes bene=: SB GES £3 ae és DayConference-“TheInnerCity” a>SomeeeamieoeSICEeBEGiSa22GE2sc8 MMUMEBHBESEUSSE 23YeGaz aSDp an3-OH 5=2SasZo2252 SSERSESSSSRE 2B _ aeeaie Bas 2a aze Zee eat continued from p. 10 the state isthe only agent capable of filling |x LCAN =e Allo, ‘allo, ‘allo - it isn’t legal yet. be Once upon a time there were no architects, planning officers or council estates, People were forced to live in unplanned caves, sub-standard tents or non- conforming huts, : ‘ government policy, e 4 A T = that other architectural historian, turns in his grave as l fthe Mother of the Arts in the 1978 of my bike with laughter .again” ...........Prof. Reyner Banham cartoonist Lou Hellman traces the history o! tto be the first person on my block to get re-educated. Gaudi and turn over twelve new leaves with our monthly history course in 1978. Reluctantly, Ienclose £1.00, which includes postage and packing. Post the coupon below or write to NAM 9, Poland Street, London, W.1. 4 page 14 SLATE SLATE 4 page 15 | London W.1. |NAME |ADDRESS | | | CAMDEN COUNCIL’S INTEN— tion to build 3000,000sq. ft. of offices on the contraversial Tolmers Square site represents a breach of faith with the people of Camden, claim the Tolmers Village Action Group in a comprehensive document of objections presented recently to Camden Council, The Greater London facilities such as restaurants, pubs, shops, launderettes, some public open space, a health clinic and a cinema to replace the exceedingly popular one which was destroyed in 1973. They also propose a minimum of 100,000 sq. ft. of housing equivalent to that currently in existance plus craft workshops, studios, light industry and small scale offices, If in Spite of more than 500,000 sq ft. Council and the Dept. of Environment. of office space in the immediate vicinity The six acre site, notorious for more than 20 years as a battleground for local people and property devel- opers, was won by the Council from property company, Stock Conversion and Investment Trust in the summer of 1975 after a prolonged campaign launched and supported by local people. Now just 2 years later, the Council propose to build more offices and less housing than the developers ever intend- ed. The Action Group have accused the Council of “behaving precisely like a spec- ulative developer’ -‘the Council is simply tryingtobuildasmuchasitcanofthe most profitable form of development’. The Action Group feels that, “It is precisely this narrow-minded attitude towards development in the past which has led to the social and environmental problems of our cities today”. They propose instead that the development be based on “‘a set of criteria founded on social need”; the area badly needs NENT ISSUE | | If you would like to receive SLATE without joining NAM fil in the form below and send it together | architectural education. ! | Poland Street, London W.1. I | | a| which remains empty, the council still feels it has to add its further quota, then it should do so by building over the adjacent Euston Road underpass, an eye- sore of approximately 80,000 sq. ft. ona road which is fast becoming a monument to some of the most sterile and anonymous office development ever produced. -anyone wishing to prepare a SyrGainete Cecorinent scheme for the area or offering letters ofsupport should contact: TolmersVileoeAon Group 12Tolmers Square London NW1 photoawapns Mow Tomes Aonunated by the Euusteu Tours (Above) ond Coumden COME'S IAest: 1 foWe Evstou Road (below). HES PRUGGEEICONGINUES SUBSCRIBE! ANTE ® TELEPHONE (HOME )’.. [ie you would like to be a member of the New Architecture Movement fil in the form below and send 1 | it together with a cheque/postal order (payable to the New Architecture Movement) for £5.00( if you'reemployed)or£2.00(ifyou'rearestudent,claimantorOAP)toNAM at9,PolandStreet We will also be taking another look at SLATE 4 page 16 with acheque/postal order (Payable to the New Architecture Movement )for £2.00 to NAM at Ch Slate 5 will investigate the practice of Architecture in other countries, Particular attention will be paid to the effects of diff- erent economic and political systems on forms of professionalism. SLATE 5 will appear after NAM’s third Annual Congress in Hull and will carry full reports of the proceddings. NAM 4977CONGRESS APPLICATION The 3rd annual congress of the New Architecture Movement will be taking place on the weekend. of the 25th,26th and 27th november 1977.This years event will be the 3rd NAM congress following the inaugural congress at HarrogateTM in 1975,and Blackpool in 1976.-The hosts for this year are the Hull group of NAM in conjunction with the Hull School of Architecture. The congress of '77 concludes a year of'action'during which NAM has emerged as a force within the architectural world.Much of:this'action'has stemed from the researches and and discussions carried out by NAM groups during 1976 which were aired and refined at the Blackpool congress. These'actions'include the following, NAM's May Unionisation Conference which chose T.A.8.S. within which to organise architectural workers. NAM's Unionisation groups report'Working for What'. NAM's presence in ARCUK representing the unattached Salaried architect. NAM's newspaper ‘Slate' the only radical paper for architectural workers. These public expressions of NAM as well as the less publicised ones are the issues around which NAM groups” form to work on.The groups which have issues clarified| enough to present a working paper use the congress workshops to enlarge the discussion and to put forward ~ motions for the congress to adopt. Workshops so far proposed for this years congress cover; EDUCATION, NATTONAL DESIGN SERVICE ,UNIONISATION, ARCUK, WOMEN IN ARCHITECTURE! SLATE !CONSTITUTION, A fuller list of workshop options will be included in the final briefing package. tear off and return to 9,Poland st,London,W1 NAM 1977 CONGRESS APPLICATION DATE einlaleloiniolelelareleicietatelonn/a/i NAMEciccis.00.00ececaiaieieonicrcleosloDDREGSseicvercterntoreleloialerolevereiereialetericie @eeoeoeeeoeoeveeoeooeeeoeesee2e2eGe2ad I enclose £5.00 COneT ess fee _and require accomodation do not I require bed and breakfast accomodation @ £2620. Bee Beane perso} :1/2 nights : sSingle/double “TOPAT. eecvecvece I require the alternative accomodation @ 50p per night 1/2 nights TOTAL slelcleleielaele I enclose a cheque payable to the New Architecture Movement for the following amount Dicioteleletaleleleletatele What is NAM,? | | | t ! The programme for the congress begins with registration at 7.30pm on friday 25th november followed by an introduction and discussion.A buffet will be provided. Saturday is bound up with congress workshops/general sessions and public forum/discussion in the late afternoo followed by a social eva ng, food,drink and chat, -he NAM agm takes place on sunday morning with an alternative event which is a tour de Hull.for those not directly involved in NAM. 4ue congress ends after lunch on Sunday afternoon, The cost of the congress includes meals for the 3-days. A more detailet brogramme will be included in the final briefing, ; The New Architecture Movement ("NAM") aims, through the col- lective action of architectural workers and other concerned people, to play an active role in radically altering the sys- tem of patronage and power in architecture. It seeks an archi- -‘tectural practice directly accountable to all who use its pro- ducts and democratically controlled by the workers within it. NAM aims thereby to promote effective contol by ordinary people over their environment and by architectural workers over their working lives. NAM: challenge to professi Fram Moris Williams RIBA TASS chosen as architects’ =)” . Unionisationofworkersinarchitects’offices,theea gists:NewunionbyNAMconference mentofaNationalDesignService,anddemocrSir: ‘NEW the Architects’ Registration Acts are three major We were interésted, a couple of All people employed in private sector offices in the building to be launched by the New Architecture Mov prcck Sapo, (osce pha the Y no union is already recognised are urged to followingtheirsecondannualcongressheldjRCHITEC Technical,AdministrativeandSuperv'sory Rr RNS Gs sciraes ; women at the local authorit principle of lay control over the entire profes Heatrinetncardatenetthere a report prepared by NAM’s Private Practice Grou} jaye the feudalism: the serfs ARCUKis,infact,largelydominatedbytheRIETheNewArchitectureMove- stamped, self-addressed envelope) ERINeA citeens Movement, thecloak, of a registered trades malgamated Union of Engineering Workers i e fMoice ni- 5It the second largest white collar union in the private sector. Although part of the 1400 000 strong AUEW, TASS remains ctural workers will be able to have NAM on ARCUK intheunionwhichwilallowthema ray tered institutions in related building professions. %c¢e¢°mmodation for two nights, cians Association), has over 140 000 members which made up of empreyers in th Sing ifeeery : The congress resolved to prepare for a campaign ; proper public accountability into architectural 26, 27 and 28 November radical revision of the Architects’ Registr ie layrepresentationexceedsprofessionalreRIBAthreelinewhipstalls utonomyoveritsownindustrialand the latter reflects accurately the proport workersandimanagement? 3 £8. Further details: NAM xe , ; ANational Design Service The establishment of a National Design Moyement (NAM) gaining places on committees in the free ‘Nich will be capable of providing major priority for the movement, in or elections. (These are for posts not filled automatically under f industrial disputes. the ultimate goal of direct control over resources by local people so that architect: to those who are really affected by their « nises that major changes in this area are changes in the wider political system bu Asbestos reconsidered -< things now fr the ‘sentlemen’s agreement’ between ARCUK’s constituent Vly on the part of women who com- ie membership. hitects, in last eady connected with the building in- leNew Archi- ‘th the AUEW’s Construction Engin- ;_ use of the several hundreds of em- sssions who are already TASS mem- FromMorrisWillianadmMasrkobjectives<profession’.Theirmayorcriticismof} isWhatitis|andengineeringstaffinindustry. Glesen for Central London i i i Group, the New Architecture 07 t0 M@Ke a largely dominated by the RIBA, with salaried architects, tech- STENCE tO select TASS will come as a ee: users,and,stniciageape)layeoeonleey-wepreg(AZ8.12.76p1065).vhowouldhaveexpectedtheSTAMP Sir: oneddesignjinQSth26th‘O79tfNAMmem-=theobviouschoice;beingtheunion Your article, ‘Asbestos alternative materials’ (4 p1041),whilelongov ignores certain imports and is misleading on ot and more architects ar to specify building mat containing amy type of eahreibelicvenhatece will do so after reading a : TERE “ l to Council as a serious threat. Before the annual meeting ith the building industry. But speakers “h : "has extremely poor back-up facilities VEMBE Kcommittees, :ef ige, uel wks the RIBA, cir- wide much support for recruitment, os 1 its own finances, staff, headquarters RIBA representatives on ARCUK closed ranks at last week’s MY © develop in their own way. At annual meeting to prevent members of the New Architecture Tétain the advantages of being in a ed a leter to al bers on Is the New Architecture Movement (NAM) rew attention to Bl Begtnigelections f sys : : . ‘tects’placeswhttond li‘havWeith itsaim ofa‘democratic architecture’ sa :Sd : : eople who are committed to changing tPOSINE a threat to the establishment? by-passing the institute. It is import’ There must be some worries that its e ac T . . . precautions you recom‘ little light reading PiefenreflectingusonFromaidisgustedarchitec: meSaabs coConon flences bemg feltwheniseveral tof the RIBA representatives.’ likelihodoftthheeiractuST!Tealitleshockedtose©ci.rculatedali'stofRIBAvenomir:membershaveadmititedthattheyare nature of the sources tcthe perspective, in your issue of ies for the various committees, whi afraid to reveal their identity for fear of youhaverefered.FORUINFORMATIONSANDDETWHAEEITONLASI!oo BoLotDiseH eNAMhas We suggest that archi hich Hellman works. How in-~ 57 al] the seats otherspecifiersshoulddulgenthisemployermustbe— Aneice caCORna Tee Come 2long way inayear (p1065) anandhas heir faith in inadequat{uorescent lights amd individual “ 7 ae saeiards dependent ulighting! Ihave found one ur merely strengthened his view put forward a number of proposals worthy infeasiblemeasuring140Wattbulbbetweenapairof tionofARCUK neededtobechallerOfdebate, backed up by useful research. erism d T! 7? Unionisation i iam 0) y c This is the recommendation of a special one-day TradeunionorganisationofarchitecturalandalMOVEMENT ontradeunionisminarchitectureandtheallied isnowamajorpriorityofNAM.Whileunionis;')*/2TMs° ene inDulildingprofessions,sponsoredbytheNewArchitecture seen as a panacea for the ills of the profession, it is the NALGO closed shop. These Movement in London last Saturday. An organising CO Ce an essential step towards the democratisation of 4 shops, we are told, are currently has been instructed by the conference to make a recruiting practice. What has not yet been determined is wh under construction in the very drive. tectural workers should form a new union, or w Precincts of nota few local The decision comes after six months of debate and research shouldallywithexistingunionssuchasUCATISeesesateecratine?intowhichunionwouldbemostsuitableforarchitectsand or the TGWU. But the congress was clear that in they will be too, we are told, to Other allied workers. A committee set up by the New Archi- effective, all employees in private practice should the free enterprise spiritofthe tecture Movement’s Congress in Blackpool last November has of the same union rather than dividing their for Profession. had negotiations with officials from ASTMS (Association of differentunions.ThecongresshassetupanorgaSIRE Scientific,TechnicalandManagerialStaffs),STAMP(Sup- mittee which will make detailed recommendations 2-chitectural meachiceniee d ervisory, Technical, Administrative, Managerial and Profes- conference in 1977 to launch the unionisation cam guaintly feuda, 4of sional section of UCATT), TGWU (Transport and General association wy everal Workers Union) and TASS. Detailed briefings were prepared DemocratisationofARCUK YEATES!EEO)there, gnamal-bythecommitteeontheadvantagesofeach,andlastSatur- TheArchitects’RegistrationActsarealso¢py a immediate NAM action. The current public disi the RIBA. V the profession shows that there would be consideré one of its objectWemras for such action. The Acts establish, however ineff: fter the interests of the men and UPon request (accompanied’by a the committee in favour of tectural mz Of , pf om con th an gt The New Architecture Movement ‘cally to decide on one union. d that has prepareda concise, two-page 10m 25 were NAM members. tolook leafletonasbestosavailable,free,nitectsinprivatepractice. D Feb E Greenies ecte qu wii ta gt le Ha Htiin ra N.A.M. HAS A Sane AT INTERBUILD : WE NEED HELP IN PREPARATION, MOUNTING AND MANNING THE STAND PLEASE CONTACT LIASON GROUP, NAM. 9 POLAND ST. LONDON W1. > ~e ~” 2 a g Oo g a + 2 = —_ =& a z < os =x - is ~ _ = = oO -4 < Zz © ~ = 5) < On — < 2 a < [~ = = - Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Various Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Andrew Brown/FLeP Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource September/October 1977