'But what does a Policy Officer actually do?'

Imagine doing a job where your Mum thinks you work for the government, your younger brother thinks you go the pub with the First Minister, and your Gran asks whether you're able to get her a new house on the cheap. It doesn't get any easier when it comes to meeting new people either. Nobody knows what a policy officer does. They know we have meetings, and we like coffee, and it's verging on something political so they're not really interested anyway.

It's hardly the greatest stigma of our age, but policy types get a bad rap. Our colleagues in comms are always waiting on us, our friends in political parties think we're a bit boring, and our parents don’t have a clue what we do!

I'd worked in the Assembly, and on campaigns, and I'd flirted with a career in comms, so all these assumptions about the mysterious policy folk weren't new to me. Starting out at CHC, I was anxious not to become one of those 'bods'. Ten weeks on a Go Wales placement couldn't hurt though, could it? And how much could there really be to know about housing?

I very quickly learned that many of my assumptions were wrong. I found myself at CHC with lots of great people who were passionate and impatient for change. And, whisper it, the people in policy weren't boring either! Oh, and there really was quite a lot to learn about housing...

Three years in policy at CHC was an education. It was the trip to the House of Lords in my first week to campaign against the welfare reforms; it was the constant reminders about why we do this job as I heard the money advice team ask some of the toughest questions anyone will ever ask another person. It was successfully protecting the Supporting People budget last year, and wondering why my 'normal' friends weren't as excited as I was in the pub that night. It was becoming an overnight expert in devolution as we prepared to make radical calls to the Silk Commission. And it was the occasional campaign defeat too. And trying to understand the Lobbying Bill. And the Conservative MP who still replies to complain every time I use 'bedroom tax' in an email. And it was digesting the ever changing Welsh Government budget sheet – ‘what have they called social housing grant this year?!”

Policy was far from the boring drag I’d been told about; partly because working with the people at CHC meant even the longest strategy document or the driest task and finish group would turn out OK, and partly because I was representing a sector that really was about ‘more than bricks and mortar’. Over the course of three years, you can see that policy really can make a difference to people’s lives if we’re given the opportunity to channel it – it’s the basis of great projects and successful campaigns. It’ll change your political views and your outlook on life. But as I head off to my new policy role at NIACE, I’m still not sure my Mum knows exactly what I do…

Aaron Hill 

Aaron is leaving CHC after three years to work for NIACE Cymru as Policy and Public Affairs Officer. Good luck in your new role, you'll be missed! 

What impact will the Lobbying Bill have on charities across the UK?

There is often hyperbole around the impact of policy and legislation at any stage of its deliberation and, working in public policy, it is important to look beyond the headlines – the devil really is in the detail. When I saw claims that the Lobbying Bill currently going through Parliament could have ‘a chilling effect on campaigning in the voluntary sector’, I wondered whether the impact of the legislation was really going to be as shocking as some of the headlines. The further I delved into the legislation and the policy, the more I was shocked.

When the Lobbying Bill was originally released, the limited plans to register professional lobbyists caused a bit of a stir, but this proved to be somewhat diverting the attention from the real issues with the legislation. Part 2 of the Bill seeks to change the law on what non-party organisations, and charities such as CHC, can do in the run up to a general election (UK and Welsh!). Such was the outrage at the measures – which propose huge regulatory obstacles for groups wishing to campaign - the Countryside Alliance and the League Against Cruel Sports came together to campaign on the issue.

We were lucky to receive support from a number of parties in Wales in our opposition to the Bill, but it took an enormous amount from the Commission on Civil Society and Democratic Engagement to get support at Westminster, and eventually a six week pause in the bill for consultation. I was delighted to see in the Commission’s second report today that they are recommending an exemption for all charities from the legislation, but this is far from the end of the journey. We must now work with the 100 or so other charities supporting the Commission’s work to ensure that our voices are heard in opposition to the legislation, and ensure that the Commission’s recommendations are applied.

Lobbying is a key function of CHC, and the housing sector has been successful in recent years in making the case to politicians about the importance of the work we do. Regardless of who is seeking election, or who may be in government, we must be allowed to continue in this role to affect positive change across society.

Whether it’s Russell Brand or Nigel Farage telling us, we constantly hear that people are disillusioned with politics, and it beggars belief that any politician could support a bill that will prevent ordinary people coming together to campaign on the issues that matter to them.

For more details on the bill, see the Commission on Civil Society and Democratic Engagement website.

You can also show your support for 38 Degrees’ petition against the bill here.

Aaron Hill
Policy Officer, CHC