In a joint operation by the Environment Agency, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and Government Agency Intelligence Network (GAIN), a 29-year-old man and a 46-year-old man were arrested for questioning in relation to waste crime, fraud and money laundering offences across the country.

The pair are believed to be involved in organised crime across the country, including in Lancashire, Middlesborough, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Kent.

Organised crime

Both men were arrested at their homes in Chelsea and Hampstead Heath. The properties were also searched as part of the investigation.

Environment Agency team leader Mark Rumble said:

These arrests are part of extremely serious organised crime activity, which involves the dumping of illegal waste, fraud and money laundering across the country. We are working closely with partners to share intelligence on illegal waste activity to ensure the culprits are brought to justice.

We need everyone to play their part in the fight against waste crime – an issue that blights communities and drains valuable resources. Property and landowners are encouraged to be vigilant and report suspicious illegal activity to the Environment Agency.

Multiple agencies involved

The London GAIN co-ordinator said:

Working in partnership, sharing intelligence lawfully and efficiently, the GAIN aims to ensure that government agencies along with law enforcement will help reduce serious and organised crime, in the most cost effective way. This action is an excellent example of adopting a multi-agency approach.

Detective inspector Tim Court, Metropolitan Police Organised Crime Command, said:

Organised crime has many forms but always exploits and undermines individuals, businesses and society for financial gain. It is critical that different parts of the government work together to tackle organised crime, holding offenders to account and removing the financial incentive for their offending. Today’s activity has proven that the MPS and organised crime advisors will take action against those involved in any organised criminal activity in order to protect London.

Advice to land and property owners

The Charity Commission has opened a consultation about new guidance to help charities manage their relationships with connected non-charitable organisations.

The new guidance is closely based on the core trustee duties as explained in the regulator’s existing guidance, and sets out principles for trustees to follow.

The Commission stresses that it is common for charities to have close connections with non-charities, for example trading subsidiaries or charities established by commercial businesses, and that this is not a concern in principle.

However, it says that trustees must manage these relationships properly in order to fulfil their legal duties and maintain public trust and confidence. It is vital that the public can easily distinguish between the charity and the connected non-charitable organisation, particularly where, for example, they share a very similar name.

The regulator says that serious problems can arise when charities’ relationships are not managed appropriately, and that a number of its case reports in recent years involve concerns about trustees’ handling of these matters.

It says it is keen to hear charities’ views on the guidance, especially those of charities that are closely connected to non-charitable organisations. It is also interested in feedback from other interested parties, such as charity legal advisers. It is organising round-tables to facilitate discussions about the guidance.

Sarah Atkinson, Director of Policy, Planning and Communications at the Charity Commission, says:

This guidance is designed to help charities benefit from appropriate connections with non-charitable organisations, while preserving and protecting what is special and unique about charity. We want to help trustees make decisions that promote their charity’s best interests, and that encourage public trust in charity more widely.

We know that charities want this guidance: currently advice is spread across several different Commission publications and this document pulls it all together in one place. We have also designed some practical aids to help trustees put the guidance into practice.

The guidance is in draft form, and we are keen to hear from as wide a range of charities and advisers as possible, to ensure the final guidance is as clear and helpful as possible.

The draft guidance stresses that trustees must, among other things:

• actively manage the relationship in compliance with their legal duties and the law

• preserve the charity’s separation and independence from the non-charitable organisation

• manage the risks arising from the charity’s association and/or work with the non-charitable organisation

• make decisions in accordance with their legal duties

• identify and avoid conflicts of interests and loyalty in respect of the non-charitable organisation when making decisions

• be accountable about the relationship, for example by complying with all relevant accounting and reporting requirements

The consultation about the draft guidance will close at 5pm on the 15 May 2018.

Ends

Notes to editors

1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work, see the about us page on GOV.UK.

On 20 October 2016, the government announced plans to modernise community pharmacies, improve service quality and relieve pressure on other parts of the NHS.

The government continues to recognise and value the importance of the services that community pharmacies provide.

The Department of Health and Social Care has encouraged greater use of community pharmacy by working to integrate pharmaceutical services with the rest of the NHS. The Stay Well This Winter campaign continues to advocate ‘pharmacy first’, and the Healthy Living Pharmacy framework supports community pharmacies to provide a range of services to help people stay healthy in the community.

Funding of £2.69 billion in 2016 to 2017 and £2.59 billion in 2017 to 2018 was announced in 2016. This represents a 4% reduction in funding in 2016 to 2017 and a further 3.4% in 2017 to 2018, which makes an important contribution to the sum of £22 billion of NHS efficiency savings set out in NHS England’s Five Year Forward View.

The reforms also introduced the following benefits:

• Protected access for patients through the introduction of the Pharmacy Access Scheme in areas where there are fewer pharmacies and higher health needs. Pharmacies in the scheme have been protected from the full effect of the funding reductions so that patients can continue to access the services they need.
• A simplified and more modern payment structure, phasing out the existing establishment payment, which is a fixed payment just for being there, and in doing so allowing more efficient allocation of NHS resources.
• Steps to integrate community pharmacy into urgent care pathways, including for those who need urgent repeat prescriptions and treatment for minor ailments. Patients needing urgent repeat prescription medicines are referred from NHS 111 to community pharmacies, rather than to the GP out-of-hours service. Community pharmacy has also again been commissioned to provide seasonal flu vaccinations.

There are over 11,600 community pharmacies dispensing NHS prescriptions in England. This is 1,500 more than there were 10 years ago. 88% of the population are within a 20-minute walk of a community pharmacy.

Pharmacies will continue to be trusted partners in a world-class NHS.