At our Annual Consumer Assembly, on June 30th, Dick Mackie, Chairman of the Edinburgh Consumer Group and a member of the NfCG/CC joint Executive Committee brought together a panel, consisting of Roy Bisson (NfCG Chairman) Helen Millar (Consumer Congress Chairman), Janet Graham (NfCG Vice Chairman) and Jim Woodward-Nutt (Consumer Congress Treasurer) to give their views on and answer questions about the way ahead for the proposed new National Consumer Federation (NCF). This was, said Janet Graham, "the last big chance for consumer organisations to pull together".

Communication, Consultation and Representation

Roy Bisson's theme was 'communicate' and this was also the way forward identified by many present. Pulling together meant getting together, talking together and sharing experiences to form a body which will be a necessary consultation point for Government, other consumer organisations, business and individuals. This was one way to exert influence. Another was Representation. Building up a panel of people who could represent consumers' interests in all fields was a priority. Training was needed but, as Janet Graham said "Consumer Principles are the tools".

We have between us a very varied membership and consulting it is a complicated exercise, but our future depends on doing so and doing it well. It was pointed out that, at the moment, even communication between Consumer Groups within NfCG was hardly occurring, yet each Group carried out activities of interest to the others and of value to all consumers.

NfCG has already started mapping out a system of consultation whereby Groups, Individual Members and members of networks will be linked so that replies to consultations, respected for their erudition, could be made quickly. This must now be brought to fruition and extended as Congress members join in. As well as consultation, the distribution of responses to consultation papers to those who helped frame them and others who are interested would be required.

Membership

Roy Bisson explained that, on incorporation, later this year, all NfCG members would become members of The National Consumer Federation. Consumer Congress members had been enjoying a subscription holiday but would now be invited to join the new organisation. Membership was open to groups and organisations with individual consumers as members, local bodies, national bodies, organisations representing consumers' interests even though they have no individual members, provided they support the objects of the NCF, and individuals who support the objects of the NCF.

Commercial bodies and Government departments could (and we hope will) become Associates.

Several people pointed out that it was important to tell prospective and existing members what the NCF was going to do and what they would get out of it. A work programme should accompany any requests for subscriptions.

National Consumer Council

Two representatives from the National Consumer Council offered help for the new organisation and reported that NCC was making a study of Consumer Representatives within Government Departments and Agencies. They were also putting together an electronic news bulletin giving details of activities on the consumer front in Whitehall, which could be made available to NCF members.

What Next?

Micky Cohen, an NfCG Individual Member, spoke eloquently about "examining the hinterland and coming to the Conference in April with a firm plan of action". Hopefully it will be more than just a plan, by then there should be plenty of action on the communications front to report.

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