We have today published our new Statement of Strategic Intent, which sets out our core purpose and our priorities for the five years to 2023.

That new purpose, to ensure charity can thrive and inspire trust so that people can improve lives and strengthen society, will inform everything we do.

Our new purpose and Statement of Strategic Intent do not replace our statutory objectives, which we will continue to fulfil. But we are clear that regulation is a means to an end, not an end in itself.

We must do all we can to ensure charities can show that they are being true to their purposes, demonstrate the difference they’re making, and meet the high expectations the public have of charities.

These expectations include that a charity must be more than an organisation with worthy aims. It must be a living example of charitable purpose, charitable attitudes, and charitable behaviour.

Our strategy makes clear that charities and the Commission share a collective responsibility for ensuring the concept of charity survives and thrives into the future and charities reach their potential for good in our society.

From now on, the Commission is a purpose-driven regulator. We are clear not just on what we do, but about why we do it. Our purpose is deliberately positive: charity is a vital force for good in our society, and we as regulator share a responsibility with charities to help maximise the positive impact charity has, to help charity reach its potential.

Our great challenge is that charities are not always living up to the public’s expectation that being a charity is about how we behave, not just what we set out to achieve. The public, quite reasonably, expect a charity to have charitable aims, and to be a living, breathing expression of charitable behaviour and attitude. By working on this together, charities and the Commission will help ensure that charities thrive, so that people can improve lives and strengthen society.

Our Statement of Strategic Intent sets out and explains 5 new strategic objectives. They are:

• holding charities to account
• dealing with wrongdoing and harm
• informing public choice
• giving charities the understanding and tools they need to succeed
• keeping charity relevant for today’s world

You can read more about each objective, and about how our work will be changing to meet them, in the Statement of Strategic Intent.

We’re now working on a more detailed road map that will translate the Statement of Strategic Intent into a plan for action. We envisage that, as we work to deliver against our purpose, we will engage in conversation, and in some cases in consultation with charities and others on specific proposals or changes to the way we regulate.

The statement replaces our previous strategic plan, which ran to 2018.

Today, the UK and its allies can expose a campaign by the GRU, the Russian military intelligence service, of indiscriminate and reckless cyber attacks targeting political institutions, businesses, media and sport.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has identified that a number of cyber actors widely known to have been conducting cyber attacks around the world are, in fact, the GRU. These attacks have been conducted in flagrant violation of international law, have affected citizens in a large number of countries, including Russia, and have cost national economies millions of pounds.

Cyber attacks orchestrated by the GRU have attempted to undermine international sporting institution WADA, disrupt transport systems in Ukraine, and destabilise democracies and target businesses.

This campaign by the GRU shows that it is working in secret to undermine international law and international institutions.

The Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt said:

These cyber attacks serve no legitimate national security interest, instead impacting the ability of people around the world to go about their daily lives free from interference, and even their ability to enjoy sport.

The GRU’s actions are reckless and indiscriminate: they try to undermine and interfere in elections in other countries; they are even prepared to damage Russian companies and Russian citizens. This pattern of behaviour demonstrates their desire to operate without regard to international law or established norms and to do so with a feeling of impunity and without consequences.

Our message is clear: together with our allies, we will expose and respond to the GRU’s attempts to undermine international stability.

Today, the UK and its allies are once again united in demonstrating that the international community will stand up against irresponsible cyber attacks by other governments and that we will work together to respond to them. The British government will continue to do whatever is necessary to keep our people safe.

As the Prime Minister said in Parliament on 5 September 2018, the UK will work with our allies to shine a light on the activities of the GRU and expose their methods.

The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre assess that the GRU is almost certainly responsible for the cyber activities listed below. Given the high confidence assessment and the broader context, the UK government has made the judgement that the Russian government – the Kremlin – was responsible.

The GRU are associated with the names:

• APT 28
• Fancy Bear
• Sofacy
• Pawnstorm
• Sednit
• CyberCaliphate
• Cyber Berkut
• Voodoo Bear
• BlackEnergy Actors
• STRONTIUM
• Tsar Team
• Sandworm

Previously attributed

Newsdesk

Today (Thursday 4 October) celebrates the official opening of a £4.1 million flood risk management scheme, which will reduce the risk of flooding for 272 homes and businesses in Broadway, Childswickham and Murcot.

Nigel Huddleston MP for Mid-Worcestershire, Worcestershire County Councillor Liz Eyre BEM, who represents Broadway, and Tony Jones, retired Chief Engineer from Wychavon District Council, will be unveiling a plaque and burying a time capsule at Badsey Brook in Broadway. Anthony Parry from the Environment Agency will be giving an outline of the scheme.

Broadway, Childswickham and Murcot were severely flooded in 2007 following record breaking rainfall across the area and the villages were again flooded in 2012. The new flood storage area, sited at an 18 acre field in Broadway, will be able to hold up to 135,000 cubic metres of water during times of flood and will only allow a set amount of water to flow downstream at times of intense and high rainfall. This will reduce flood risk to 57 properties in Broadway and 215 properties in Childswickham and Murcot.

The Badsey Brook flood risk management scheme has been delivered as part of the Environment Agency’s £2.6b capital investment programme to reduce flood risk to 300,000 homes by 2021.

The Environment Agency, Worcestershire County Council, Wychavon District Council, Broadway Parish Council and Childswickham Parish Council worked in partnership to secure over £2 million of Government Grant in Aid funding towards the scheme. The Environment Agency’s English Severn and Wye Regional Flood and Coastal Committee also contributed £1.2million. Worcestershire County Council and Wychavon District Council and the local parishes contributed the remaining £900,000.

As a condition of the planning application, detailed archaeological investigations, part funded by Worcestershire County Council, were carried out at the site, unearthing evidence of settlements dating back around 8,500 years. Finds included a beaker dating from around 2,000 BC and skeletons of a mother and baby.

Daniel Wilkinson from the Environment Agency said:

Flooding has a devastating impact on the lives of people and communities that are affected. It’s brilliant that by working with our partners we have found a solution that is designed to greatly reduce the risk of flooding for residents living in Broadway, Childswickham and Murcot.

Nigel Huddleston MP commented:

I am delighted that after so much hard work the Badsey Brook scheme is being officially opened. Broadway and Childswickham in my constituency suffered terrible flooding in 2007 and 2012, so it is a huge relief to see substantive action taken to avoid this happening again.

Flooding is personally, financially and environmentally devastating and as local MP I would like to thank the Environment Agency, Worcestershire County Council, Worcester Archaeology, English Severn and Wye Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, construction workers and local people for contributing to the completion of this vital scheme. May it protect people, businesses and properties for years to come.

Barrie Parmenter, Chair of Broadway Parish Council, added:

On behalf of Broadway Parish Council, I would like to thank the Environment Agency, Worcestershire County Council, Wychavon District Council and all other agencies for commissioning the flood scheme in Broadway. This now means that hundreds of families will no longer live in fear of flooding when severe weather reports are issued for the district.

Cllr. Emma Stokes, portfolio holder for environment and street scene for Wychavon District Council said:

We’re very pleased to be investing in this important flood alleviation work which will protect many homes in the local area. Flooding impacts not just on residents’ homes but is an incredibly stressful process to go through. This scheme will offer protection and peace of mind. We’re also really pleased to see former Wychavon employee Tony Jones supporting the official opening. This recognises his hard work and dedication to flood alleviation over the years.