Newcastle Napo AGM 2021

Although in Newcastle, no longer being a Napo member means I'm not at the AGM, but it's been absolutely brilliant to meet readers and contributors. I made the journey because the profession means a lot to me and it's wonderful to hear first hand how the essential ethos survives even if practiced under the radar and despite all the civil service command and control shite. Thanks go to the reader for these reflections:- 

Day One of AGM

Hats off to Napo for hosting a hybrid conference, the speech by Katie Lomas quite rightly identified the benefits of this in appealing to members who wouldn’t or couldn’t make the journey. As early adopters, there will be glitches: those in the room can’t see those on screens etc, but it is the future and we should embrace it.

Game of two halves:

Half One: 

Malthouse: The minister for prisons and probation Malthouse zoomed in and then having cast a thrall of fury and despair, zoomed out again without questions. His chief repeated message was that he needed to see Probation “Driving Down Crime”. Driving Down Crime is a very dodgy strapline and he kept repeating it. Many in the room itched to remark that while his government relentlessly drive an increasing proportion of the population to poverty despair and desperation, tasking us with driving down crime is … pretty rubbish. But for a moment we had hope: having done a sparkling sales pitch for technology, tagging and surveillance, he went on to talk about The Psychology: but this turned out to be more of the same. I was quite taken with the idea that swift consequences reap rewards, (he was still selling electronic surveillance) but this is ashes in the mouths of victims, witnesses and those on remand, under investigation, whose cases are pending after years of waiting.

Second Half: 

Liz Saville Roberts MP socked it to us with a message of social justice. Not a blow-in like Malthouse, she has been soldiering away on criminal justice and is long serving co-chair of the Justice Unions Parliamentary group. She spoke eloquently and fluently about the need for Probation to be unleashed from the civil service and Westminster control. She made the case for the Napo Cymru motion – for devolution of Probation in Wales, specifically urging the AGM to vote for the Napo Cymru motion which is in fact so far down the order of motions it is unlikely to be debated. She was also off screen before we could question or participate, but it left a warmer and more positive vibe.

We finally got to some motions: pay us a decent wage, unify probation out with the civil service, address the retention problem, all of which passed without debate.

--oo00oo--

My thanks for this contribution from another reader:-

Day One

Napo Conference began with the now customary wait for quoracy despite this now being quite a low number. Once quoracy was eventually achieved after half a dozen late arrivals made their way into the hall then matters proceeded.

Now in the final year of her term as Napo Chair Katie Lomas gave a well-rehearsed, measured, and some might even say cautious speech, no doubt mindful of the civil service restrictions. This covered the usual bases that members expected to be covered. She mostly pursued the safe bet of drawing upon the concerns highlighted by the most popular motions to be debated, anticipating arguments, whilst carefully navigating between mentioning everyone and everything and avoiding anything that might be deemed controversial.

The minutes of the previous meeting were not adopted immediately despite the weird electronic voting system emitting a sound like a cross between a star trek style matter transporter followed by the sound of a flushing toilet. But then a moment of potential drama where you could almost hear solid matter thudding to a halt in the super smooth plumbing system as Gordon Jackson made an intervention questioning poor grammar in relation to the finance report section of the minutes. Chair was forced to abandon the vote. These were later adopted once it was established that the reported questions were reproduced verbatim – mischief managed.

The election of officers proceeded smoothly.

Napo stalwart Keith Stockeld gave his final finance report as he is stepping down. This was interesting particularly in relation to the payment of £308,110 corporation tax resulting from the sale of Chivalry Rd and purchase of Boat Race House. Members might be forgiven for wondering how that happened as at some point when deciding whether to rent or buy the need to prevent this loss swung those opposed to the decision to buy. £308,110 is not a sum to be sniffed at and although the new offices are reportedly nice, questions might still be asked whether buying property in London can be justified when organisations are finding more creative and agile ways to operate without the constant drain of accommodation costs. Wouldn’t all Napo staff prefer to work from home? In relation to the £308,110, Keith’s reply was to take it up with the government.

The Edridge report indicated that charitable need is increasing as more staff turn to charity, stressed to breaking point and in financial desperation. This message is of course a stark contrast to probation bosses upbeat saccharin messages assuring everyone that everything is under control and there is no iceberg. The Edridge Fund, like the Probation Journal, is something that Napo can be proud of.

The entertainment highlight of day one for many was when Justice Minister Kit Malthouse put in a virtual appearance staring down like Big Brother. A fan and supporter of Boris Johnson who he has served faithfully from County Hall to the House of Commons. Kit is an interesting character dressed in standard issue Tory blue pinstripe (rumoured to have Teflon like qualities) who is also evidently a huge fan of technological solutions of all kinds, the Tory version of Gadget Man. He did however misjudge his audience quite a bit as he waxed lyrical about apps, GPS tags and drug monitoring blah blah blah that he assured conference would all make the job so much easier blah blah blah. 

This sort of stuff no doubt goes down well in the boardroom but falls flat on the frontline now, particularly where former CRC staff are having to move from the Middle Ages to the stone age with the promise of progressing to the dark ages soon. Even dedicated fans of tech may have been left wondering if the last person left in their office could please turn off the light. It all felt a little like a 1950s advert for the latest household gadgets promising extra time to enjoy your life if only you were to buy a new thingummyjig wotnot cutting edge bling beep - just what you never knew you needed to get all those pesky jobs done. 

Those gathered were promised a further 1500 staff to add to the 1000 already delivered but rapidly departing staff fresh out of Uni to be trained by what remains of experienced non-existent hard-pressed staff already at their wits end being treated like political footballs. Can we have a gadget to remember the names of all those passing through? Conference was reminded by the chair to treat all guest speakers courteously as loud groans and mutterings were clearly audible to the minister as he blinked out on the big screen.

Sanity and reality were eventually restored with motions re: pay etc Give us more money you wotsits or we’ll walk.

A somewhat more humble Liz Sackville Roberts Minister of State for Probation and Prisons then appeared virtually on the big screen. She correctly gauged the mood of conference and basically made a very strong and convincing argument for a free and independent devolved locally responsive Welsh Probation Service in the public sector, ditching the deeply flawed English civil service-based probation model. By the time Liz had finished there were many no doubt contemplating a move to Wales and few who wished to remain working in the English Service when such good alternative is being considered. Go for it Liz !!!! You have our support. Other sensible models in Scotland and NI. English model = Thumbs down.

More motions and speeches urging an independent service and highlighting concerns about staffing levels. A particularly moving speech from one London PO working in one of the notorious career ending red zones slammed home with concerns that all those in the profession can identify with. Seeing newly appointed colleagues give up and experienced colleagues deciding they have had enough.

Pretty much day one. More fun and possibly one or two fireworks on day two.