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Press release
On Tuesday 18 May, a Buxton man pleaded guilty at Thameside Magistrates’ Court to infringing the licensing conditions of his two Security Industry Authority (SIA) licences.
Paul Tilson held a CCTV licence and a Security Guard licence and he failed to inform the SIA of his change of address, which is a licensing condition.
Last July the SIA was also informed by an SIA approved contractor providing security, that Tilson had been prosecuted for theft. On 11 August 2020, the SIA suspended Tilson’s licences. An investigation was launched into whether Tilson had failed to notify the SIA of his prosecution. Tilson failed to engage with SIA investigators, and he also failed to turn up to court at the allocated time and a warrant for his arrest was issued. He appeared in court on Tuesday.
He was given a 12-month community service order with 15-days rehabilitation activity. He was also ordered to pay court costs of £450 and fined £50 and required to pay a victim surcharge of £95. The prosecution was brought by the SIA.
Nathan Salmon, one of the SIA’s criminal investigations managers, said:
Informing the SIA of a change of address by licence holders is a licence condition and is clearly explained when licences are granted. Tilson failed to tell the SIA of the changes and as a result of other criminal activity his licences were suspended. I am also grateful to the private security company who informed us of the development with Tilson’s history, a good example of businesses supporting the regulator. As a result of our prosecution, Tilson has incurred a further criminal record as well as a fine and costs and is unable to continue working in the industry.
Notes to editors:
Further information:
Published 25 May 2021
The Awards team received entries from around the country, from a wide variety of organisations striving to make regulation work to protect people and to support business.
As ever, the standard is very high, and on 10 June OPSS will hold an online event to announce the winners to an audience of regulatory professionals from business organisations and the public sector.
The event will celebrate outstanding achievements in supporting businesses and protected consumers, contributing towards fighting coronavirus, rebuilding the economy, and unleashing innovation.
Paul Scully MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Minister for London, will provide the opening address before videos are shown highlighting the work of the finalists.
The external judging panel, chosen for their breadth of knowledge and expertise from across the regulatory field, will share how they came to their decision about the winners.
Please register your interest to attend on Eventbrite before 4 June in order to receive clear joining instructions beforehand.
The different category finalists are outlined below.
Sussex Better Business for All – Allergy project
Sussex Better Business for All – Charcuterie
Business Regulatory Support (Cornwall Council)
Devon, Plymouth, Somerset & Torbay Trading Standards
Heart of the South West Better Business for All
Cumbria Better Business for All Group
Eastbourne Hospitality Association Joint Primary Authority Partnership
Electrical Safety First
Hillingdon Trading Standards
Newbury Community Resource Centre
British Toy and Hobby Association
British Safety Industry Federation
Leicestershire County Council Trading Standards Imports Team
Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay Trading Standards
The Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association
Westminster Trading Standards and eBay
Bartosz Machelski, Paul Brison, Callum Sheen, John Barden, and Dave Wright
Glint Media Ltd t/a Menu Guide and Milton Keynes Council
Age Check Certification Scheme
Elmbridge Borough Council Food Team (in Environmental Health)
University of Northampton, BANES, Destination Management Organisation visit Bath
Business Regulatory Support (Cornwall Council)
Primary Authority Supermarket Health and Safety Covid Expert Panel
Chorley and South Ribble Council
Hertfordshire Better Business for All – Covid19 Business Guidance Group
Heart of the South West Better Business for All
Lichfield District Council and Central England Co-op
Environmental Health and Trading Standards Covid19 Expert Officer Group – ETC19
Directors of Public Protection Wales
Oxfordshire Coronavirus Regulatory Partners
Primary Authority Supermarket Health and Safety Covid Expert Panel
Wakefield Metropolitan District Council and EC4 Hotel
Wakefield Metropolitan District Council and Arla Foods Ltd
National Fire Chiefs Council
British Toy and Hobby Association
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service in Partnership with NatWest Group
FareShare/Royal Borough of Greenwich
Devon, Plymouth, Somerset and Torbay Trading Standards
Lichfield District Council and Central England Co-op
Milton Keynes Council and Domino’s Pizza Group UK and Republic of Ireland
The Wine and Spirit Trade Association primary authority partnership with Salford City Council on behalf of the Greater Manchester Regulatory Centre of Excellence and the Shared Regulatory Services of Bridgend, Cardiff, and the Vale of Glamorgan
Eastbourne Hospitality Association Joint Primary Authority Partnership
News story
Our latest portal enhancement, Estimated Completion Date, is now available within View My Applications.
Estimated Completion Date is the latest enhancement to View My Applications, which is available to all portal users. For the first time conveyancers can see a single calendar date by which they can reasonably expect their applications to be completed. The new feature allows them to monitor their applications by providing them with an instant view of their progress, enabling them to manage their clients’ expectations better.
Nearly 60,000 users have logged onto View My Applications since the launch of Estimated Completion Date earlier this month. This is the latest feature to be added in response to customer feedback. This enhancement will reduce the time previously spent on seeking updates from our customer contact centre. Currently we receive more than 5,000 requests for status updates per week, which is almost 1 in every 5 times a customer contacts us.
Estimated Completion Date takes data from the previous 30 days to provide a projection of when the majority (90%) of that application type will be completed. It is calculated from the day each application is received by HM Land Registry. It will then be updated for each application, every 30 days from the date of receipt, to accurately reflect the latest data. As it is an estimate, most customers will receive their completed application before this date.
We tested this with conveyancing teams at Shoosmiths before rolling out for all portal users. Here is what some of our early users have said about Estimated Completion Date.
Residential Team user, Shoosmiths
The View My Applications feature is more useful now that there is an estimated completion date. We are often asked by clients for timescales and so the feature is used a number of times every week.
Commercial Real Estate Team user, Shoosmiths
The estimated completion date feature is useful as it helps us to manage client expectations and the impact on dependent transactions. It is used frequently to report to those managing the transactions on when we can expect an application to be completed.
Published 25 May 2021
The Commission opened a case into the MWX Foundation (charity number 1185074, established by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex) in July 2020. This followed concerns about the use of funds received by MWX Foundation from the charity ‘The Royal Foundation Of The Duke And Duchess Of Cambridge’, formerly ‘The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (‘the Royal Foundation’)’.
MWX Foundation received an unrestricted grant of £145,000 from the Royal Foundation to start up the charity in 2019. A further £151,855 was received from the Royal Foundation to deliver Travalyst’s sustainable travel programme, which was transferred by MWX Foundation to Travalyst. In July 2020, the trustees made the decision to wind up the MWX Foundation.
The regulator found:
• the transfer of funds to MWX was in line with the governing document of the Royal Foundation and allowed under charity law.
• the transfer of funds by MWX to Travalyst was also lawful.
• Travalyst could receive charitable funds for the promotion of sustainable travel only, which is a charitable activity in law.
• there was no evidence to suggest that any conflicts of interest between MWX and Travalyst were managed inappropriately.
The Commission has provided the charity with regulatory advice to ensure that the funds transferred to Travalyst are applied for exclusively charitable purposes, and the Commission and the charity have agreed how the charity will comply with this guidance.
The regulator also looked at MWX Foundation’s expenditure, finding almost half of its funds were spent on legal and administrative costs. Trustees can legitimately use charitable funds for legal advice and other professional and administrative costs to set up and close a charity and ensure it can operate effectively.
The Commission noted that trustees took a decision to close this charity just 12 months after it was established, doing so during difficult and unexpected circumstances. It considers that the spending itself was not unreasonable given the unexpected events and unique circumstance which surrounded this charity and as such does not consider that further action is required.
However, the Commission has found that decisions on spending were not adequately documented, limiting the ability of the trustees to demonstrate the reasons behind those decisions. The failure to properly record decisions does not represent best practice and is not in line with Charity Commission guidance.
As in this case, the Commission accepts that trustees cannot predict future events when setting up charities. However, its general guidance is that those establishing a new charity must carefully consider whether doing so is the best and most efficient way of achieving the intended charitable aims, ensuring as far as possible that initial costs are offset by the charity’s longer-term impact.
Helen Earner, Director of Regulatory Services at the Charity Commission, said:
The public expects charities to make a real positive difference for the people they help or the cause they pursue. Where concerns are raised with us, whatever the charity, it’s right that we examine them and consider the issues carefully.
In this case we have found that the trustees complied with their duties under charity law, and the transfers of funds between different organisations were in keeping with the charities’ governing documents, with conflicts of interest being appropriately managed.
The MWX Foundation should, though, have done more to document its decisions, especially regarding the charity’s expenditure on legal and administrative costs.
We also note that a substantial proportion of funds went into setting up and then winding up a charity that was active for a relatively short period of time. Trustees cannot predict future events when establishing a new charity – circumstances can change after a charity has been set up. But all trustees, before setting up a charity, should think about the longer term, and consider carefully whether a new charity is the best way of achieving the intended aims. This helps ensure that set up costs are offset by longer-term impact.
As the charity is the process of winding up, and in addition to formal advice regarding the application of the funds to Travalyst, the Commission has offered the charity general guidance regarding the dissolution process.
A separate case was opened into the Royal Foundation to investigate the decision to transfer funds to MWX Foundation. The Commission found the trustees of the Royal Foundation acted in accordance with the regulator’s guidance and found no issues of concern.
The Commission issued advice to MWX Foundation under section 15(2) Charities Act stipulating the remaining funds, after costs are deducted, must be applied towards other charities with similar purposes.
Once the liquidation of the MWX Foundation charity is complete it will be formally wound up and removed from the charity register.
The Commission has guidance for trustees on things to consider when thinking about setting up a charity.
The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its purpose is to ensure charity can thrive and inspire trust so that people can improve lives and strengthen society.