Regardless of what you might think about the AOC’s directive, its a thorough and well researched document. I imagine its on the back of the 1* Review that took place when Dawn was in charge. Did anyone have any input into that review?
Think everyone understands the intent, it is the how it is to be implemented that needs to flow down. Amalgamation of units may not be a bad thing but this hasn’t been clearly promulgated or if indeed a final new structure has been decided. People would like to understand what they are investing their time and effort into e.g. no point reequipping a unit only to find out its closing or conversely is there an opportunity to merge two units move to a different wing/region to delivery a better experience. Its early days so let’s see if they can filter out the bad stuff and build on the good things.
The irony of this is that the people suggesting the changes and recognising that Air Cadets have been to all intents forgotten about by the RAF, were ascending their personal greasy RAF poles and seemingly unaware the Air Cadets existed, until now of course when it falls under their remit.
Think this was the best way of moving thread.
I’m only speculating about wing being broken & dissolved -and I do not believe that any WHQs are going (it would have leaked due to all the HR/role consultation)
however I would expect that that after all the shuffles some wings would get renamed. So it might well be the reason why conferences/Astra briefings are being done face to face & not on teams as a kinda last hurrah.
Conferences should be online where everyone in the wing can attend & then a bespoke face-to-face on for the officers for workshopping issues.
One is losing half of its Squadrons and being renamed.
2 Likes
Has it been formally announced yet or is it just in the process of being discussed?
If it’s in public domain I haven’t seen it yet.
The staff at the Wing in Question have been told that it’s the likely outcome but they have also been told that as with everything is subject to change.
1 Like
We know our Wing is expanding and yet we’re still having an in person conference.
Mostly because a majority of our senior bods are utterly incompetent with tech.
2 Likes
How many squadrons have been closed during [or will be closed because of] the pandemic? Cadet numbers are down everywhere. Maybe reorganisations are inevitable.
The problem is that we haven’t done the Squadron closures or even an in depth look of what they will be yet!
Are they?
When was the last ‘census’.
Would be interesting to see these figures.
I’m interested to know what’s happened to staff numbers. I keep hearing they’ve diminished <by some degree of severity>, and I do know several (pretty experienced) staff who’ve decided that they’ve got better things to do / bureaucracy + admin got too much / etc, but will the powers that be ever admit the actual stats? 
On our parade nights we have been seeing around 20-23 each night, we have 58 on le books. And that 58 is due to be reduced as we have cadets age out, or have said they arent returning to thier friends who do attend.
These show about 900 ATC CFAVs lost 1 Apr 2020-1 Apr 2021
1 Like
I’m not convinced closing sqns is a wise move, as once they’ve gone that’s it. In my time I’ve seen 1 sqn and 3 DFs go and in each instance the areas they covered no longer have many if any youngsters joining the Air Cadets and over a few years the staff disappeared.
In the current climate there needs to be a good 2 year moratorium on looking at numbers of cadets.
Staff is a completely different kettle of fish, due to the system.
We lost 15 cadets from our old lot due to ageing out, more interesting things to do and the intake we had 3 weeks before lockdown.
There are 6 staff (2 long term OCs) I know who have gone and others who when you talk to them seem to be bet hedging, on how HQAC perform, ie how much they are going to support us as and when we get back to some sort of old style normality, as in their opinion HQAC sat back, got paid and left us to do all the work and whinge when we haven’t ticked boxes and if they don’t get their finger out, they’ll go, which will result in cadets missing out. I bumped into one of those who left at Christmas 2020 just into the New Year and after a year he looks a different bloke, he said he hasn’t missed it, has an allotment and doing things with his grandchildren and family in general. The eldest grandson started DofE at school and he’s done map reading and IET stuff and taken him walking and camping, he said he’s enjoyed this more than with cadets and without the nonsense. Sounds a lot of fun.
It is an interesting question, how many cadets are enrolled but don’t attend.
Leaving aside that some have exams, the number who are poor attendees seemed to be growing even before lockdown.
I know if they are paying subs at one level it shouldn’t matter, but I’d rather have a unit of 30 with 25 down than one of 50 with 15 or more who appear only once in a blue moon.
It’s not about it being wise, it’s about the necessity.
The next unit along from us closed last year, not because anyone wanted it too, but because it had 6 cadets and the sole uniformed member of staff (a WO) was leaving and nobody wanted to step into the role.
No point keeping it open for 6 cadets, so close it and let the resources go to places that can actually use it.
4 Likes
I think the 2022 numbers will be more challenging too, a lot stayed on units although non effective as the pandemic was still in full swing. Now things are coming back there may be a few more being removed from the systems.
1 Like
What resources? The only resource I can think of directly ‘attributed’ to a sqn is the “rent” which will come from a budget, that is separate from maintenance and u[keep which is managed on application for works. Is there a central pot of resources that we can tap into which this sqn was and denying others? Bearing in mind it’s the cadets NOT the sqn that apply for and do activities, which could be referred to as a resource.
How many of those 6 cadets have moved to other units?
Sole uniformed member of staff, by which I assumer there were CIs who could have taken over the running of the sqn. Why was it not made a DF? Not that you will know.
This has now become another pocket of the UK with no Air Cadet presence or membership bar the few, less than the 6, who might have parents willing to travel. I’m not convinced it was necessary to close the sqn, when we were and still are in uncertain times. This is not something that should be “celebrated” or regarded as a positive in any way.
1 Like
That was the view of our squadron a year or so before I joined.
A new OC came in and started work saving it.
When I joined he had got to 20 cadets. With more hard work over a few years we got it to 50 cadets.
We’re now down to 28 cadets with a bunch about to age out. We’ve had little interest from new joiners.
We also have 3 uniformed staff and 6 CI’s and a functioning Civ-Com.
We’re sandwiched between 4 other squadrons. We are one of the only “staff stable” squadrons in our area.
If we lose cadets and struggle to recruit and they decide to reallocate - hardly any cadets will continue.
Out of the staff 2 of us said we’d move, the rest would all leave. Whether that would be the case when it comes to the crunch I don’t know; maybe they’d change their minds and stay on.
I can see how moving our staff about would look like an attractive quick win to solve problems elsewhere, but the reality is there would be little benefit.
2 Likes