Trying their best?

Recent comments by Bobby Hunter, the chairman of Shetland Charitable Trust (SCT), are quite telling.

“We’re all trying our best for Shetland,” he said. “If the right thing is being co-ordinated by community planning, then so be it.” (‘Trust must “actively support” partner agencies’, SN 30/6/16)

The right thing, however, is for the trust to “coordinate with” not be “coordinated by” community planning. Being “coordinated by” suggests that all SCT has to offer the partnership is its cheque book. That’s not trying your best Bobby.

In the future SCT should arrive at the community planning table with its own unique and valuable perspective on the needs of our community; a perspective which has grown out of constructive engagement with the community.

It should arrive with analysis and innovative suggestions. It should take issues away from the table, work them through with those in need of support and then return well placed to contribute to the common weel.

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Had SCT been pulling its weight, SIC convener, Malcolm Bell, would not have provided his diplomatic, yet severe criticism.

We now know from him that SCT is not an effective partner in community planning, from SIC political leader Gary Robinson that SCT is not businesslike and from OSCR that the trust is not securing its reputation by paying attention to the views of its beneficiaries.

We also know SCT’s governance proposals to further limit accountability and public involvement in the trust are unacceptable to the councillors and also that SCT do not regard the public or the community councils or the public as key groups to consult with.

These are five really serious known failings. Not the least of them is that SCT has let down its partners in community planning. What this means, in reality, is that the trust has been failing people in our community, people whose lives could have, and should have, been easier.

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Taken together all this presents quite a challenging situation. Trustees would be right to wonder just how all this has come to pass given that those in charge have been trying their best. They might fairly ask whether the trust’s leadership has the capacity and sincere determination establishing a more appropriate and effective culture will require.

We will soon know if the trustees can rethink their responsibilities, reimagine the future and get the trust onto a more trustworthy path.

They will either give the beneficiaries of this unique community trust a fair and proper say in how their trust will be governed in the future, or they will continue to act as if they know best.

Peter Hamilton

On behalf of Democracy for Shetland’s Charitable Trust