North Yorkshire County Council, which is aiming to recruit an “army of volunteers” to provide services it no longer funds, must ensure those offering help for free are given equal treatment, a meeting has heard.
North Yorkshire County Council’s partnerships scrutiny committee was told numerous inconsistencies had been identified in the way volunteers for different council services were treated, including over how much expenses could be claimed.
Roles overseen by the council range from Countryside Volunteers, who carry out conservation tasks, to mentors for the Youth Justice Service.
The county’s volunteers army also includes more than 3,000 school governors and the Ready For Anything team of community volunteers who are called on in an emergency.
Proposals to make the treatment of volunteers equitable and consistent come five years after the council announced it wanted to train teams of voluntary workers in every community across England’s largest county to provide services ranging from libraries and buses to helping the elderly following austerity cutbacks.
The meeting heard while volunteers at some libraries previously run by council received no expenses, at others volunteers could put in claims for costs incurred doing the work.
Officers said they were examining best practice advice from National Council for Voluntary Organisations and national parks, which suggest volunteers should only be paid for out-of-pocket expenses, such as travel, communications costs and essential equipment.
Councillors said one approach for recognising the volunteers efforts would help them feel valued.
Councillor Derek Bastiman, the committee’s chairman, said: “I do think it’s vitally important that all our volunteers are paid the same.
“There should be a common mileage rate across the volunteering programme.”
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