The anomaly was created when the M60 was formed 20 years ago, connecting several existing motorways with a new stretch of motorway to form a 36-mile ring road around Manchester.

The current set up means drivers travelling eastbound on the M60 at junction 18 near Prestwich, known locally as Simister Island, soon find themselves on the M62 on their way to Leeds if they don’t use a roundabout to reach the southbound section of the M60.

Highways England is now developing plans to cut journey times for the 90,000 drivers who use the junction every day to travel between the M60, M62 and M66. Drivers, residents and business owners will be able to have their say on the proposals in a new eight-week public consultation which launches today (Monday 22 June).

One of the options being considered involves creating a new link road in a loop from the eastbound to the southbound M60 so that drivers travelling clockwise could continue their journeys without leaving the M60. A virtual reality video has been released showing how the new link road could look.

Jim O’Sullivan, Highways England’s chief executive, said:

We want to provide quicker and more reliable journeys for drivers across the North.

Simister Island is one of England’s busiest motorway junctions, and the improvements we’re planning will make it easier for people travelling between the M60, M62 and M66.

We now need your views to help make that much-needed motorway upgrade a reality.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

Today’s announcement is a step forwards in making the M60 easier to use, less confusing and more efficient for drivers.

I welcome this vital improvement which has the potential to cut journey times, improve reliability and boost businesses in the North.

Highways England is encouraging as many people as possible to share their views in the pubic consultation over the next eight weeks to help develop the designs for the motorway upgrade.

Other proposals being put forward as part of the consultation include creating a new two-lane link road for drivers travelling from the northbound to the westbound stretches of the M60 at Simister Island, as well as a new link road from the eastbound M60 onto the northbound M66.

The hard shoulder could also be converted to a permanent extra lane along the mile-long stretch of the M60 between junctions 17 and 18 to improve the flow of traffic, providing five lanes in both directions.

Peter Molyneux, Major Roads Director at Transport for the North, said:

Simister Island is a well-known anomaly in the area which causes delay and disruption for thousands of vehicles every day.

It is included in our Northern Infrastructure Pipeline as a vital scheme for improving road connections in the North West, and on completion the upgrade will better serve local traffic and improve reliability for east-west journeys across our region.

This consultation is welcome news as the next stage in progressing this scheme and we urge everyone to give their views.

Highways England is changing the way it carries out consultations during the Covid-19 pandemic, and is no longer holding face-to-face public events.

The organisation will instead arrange a series of telephone and online chats, where people will be able to speak directly to a member of the project team. Almost 10,000 consultation brochures are also being posted to homes and businesses near Simister Island.

The project team will be available to answer your calls on 141 0117 2444 061 every Tuesday for four weeks from Tuesday 30 June between 11am and 7pm, as well as on Saturday 11 July and Saturday 18 July during the same times. Using 141 at the start of the number will withhold your phone number.

The online chats will take place on the project web page between 10am and 5pm on Thursday 9 July and Thursday 16 July.

A preferred option for the scheme is due to be announced in the winter once the consultation responses have been considered and, if the project is approved by the government, construction work could start by 2024. You can find out more about the proposals and complete a consultation response form on the scheme website.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into Charr Yarr Welfare Foundation Limited (1156698), as a result of serious regulatory concerns that there is, or has been, misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of the charity.

The charity funds several medical facilities in Pakistan, and operates a school in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Its purpose includes the promotion of education and relief of poverty throughout the world.

The regulator opened a compliance case into Charr Yarr Welfare Foundation Limited in April 2018 to examine financial concerns, including the charity being unable to provide receipts for £27,200 of grants made to a partner charity based in Pakistan. The charity’s accounts for the financial years ending 31 August 2016 and 31 August 2017 were also submitted to the Commission late.

After two compliance visits, the regulator issued regulatory guidance and an action plan to the charity, however the trustees again failed to file accounts for the financial year ending August 2018 on time and continue to be in default of their accounting duties. The trustees were put on notice and advised that this was evidence of mismanagement and/or misconduct in the administration of the charity.

The failure of the trustees to comply with this advice and the action plan resulted in the Commission issuing an Official Warning to the charity on 9 January 2020. Since then, the trustees have failed to submit required outstanding financial information and a report in relation to the progress of the action plan.

The charity also remains in default with Companies House in respect of filing the directors’ reports and accounts. The Commission is concerned that action commenced by Companies House to ‘strike off’ the charity from the register of Companies will place the charity at risk of it losing property.

Despite extensive engagement and attempts to put corrective measures in place, the Commission continues to have serious concerns about the way the charity is run.

It therefore escalated its engagement to a statutory inquiry on 19 May 2020. The inquiry will further examine the trustees’ governance of the charity in light of their failure to comply with the issued action plan and Official Warning. It will also examine the future viability of the charity.

The Commission may extend the scope of the inquiry if additional regulatory issues emerge.

It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries are available on GOV.UK.

Ends.

Notes to editors:

• 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.

The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into Charr Yarr Welfare Foundation Limited (1156698), as a result of serious regulatory concerns that there is, or has been, misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of the charity.

The charity funds several medical facilities in Pakistan, and operates a school in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Its purpose includes the promotion of education and relief of poverty throughout the world.

The regulator opened a compliance case into Charr Yarr Welfare Foundation Limited in April 2018 to examine financial concerns, including the charity being unable to provide receipts for £27,200 of grants made to a partner charity based in Pakistan. The charity’s accounts for the financial years ending 31 August 2016 and 31 August 2017 were also submitted to the Commission late.

After two compliance visits, the regulator issued regulatory guidance and an action plan to the charity, however the trustees again failed to file accounts for the financial year ending August 2018 on time and continue to be in default of their accounting duties. The trustees were put on notice and advised that this was evidence of mismanagement and/or misconduct in the administration of the charity.

The failure of the trustees to comply with this advice and the action plan resulted in the Commission issuing an Official Warning to the charity on 9 January 2020. Since then, the trustees have failed to submit required outstanding financial information and a report in relation to the progress of the action plan.

The charity also remains in default with Companies House in respect of filing the directors’ reports and accounts. The Commission is concerned that action commenced by Companies House to ‘strike off’ the charity from the register of Companies will place the charity at risk of it losing property.

Despite extensive engagement and attempts to put corrective measures in place, the Commission continues to have serious concerns about the way the charity is run.

It therefore escalated its engagement to a statutory inquiry on 19 May 2020. The inquiry will further examine the trustees’ governance of the charity in light of their failure to comply with the issued action plan and Official Warning. It will also examine the future viability of the charity.

The Commission may extend the scope of the inquiry if additional regulatory issues emerge.

It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries are available on GOV.UK.

Ends.

Notes to editors:

• 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.

He will succeed Christopher Woolard, who has acted as interim Chief Executive since Andrew Bailey stepped down from the post in March 2020. Mr Rathi is being appointed for a five-year term. Christopher Woolard will continue as interim Chief Executive until his appointment begins.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said:

Nikhil is the outstanding candidate for the position of Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, and I am delighted that he has agreed to take up the role.

We have conducted a thorough, worldwide search for this crucial appointment and, through his wide-ranging experiences across financial services, I am confident that Nikhil will bring the ambitious vision and leadership this organisation demands.

I would also like to thank Christopher Woolard for the excellent job he has done in leading the FCA in this challenging period. His experience, dedication and professionalism have been greatly appreciated.

Chair of the FCA, Charles Randell, said:

I warmly welcome Nikhil to the FCA. I look forward to working with him as he leads the FCA to deliver the next phase of its mission. Nikhil has been closely involved in guiding the FCA’s development through his roles on our Practitioner Panel and Markets Practitioner Panel, and brings both private sector management skills and experience of domestic and international regulatory policymaking.

I would also like to thank Christopher Woolard for steering the FCA through its initial response to Covid-19 with great energy and skill. He has been an exemplary leader in this very difficult period.

Nikhil Rathi said:

I am honoured to be appointed Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority. I look forward to building on the strong legacy of Andrew Bailey and the exceptional leadership of Christopher Woolard and the FCA Executive team during the crisis. FCA colleagues can be very proud of their achievements in supporting consumers and the economy in all parts of the UK in recent months.

In the years ahead, we will create together an even more diverse organisation, supporting the recovery with a special focus on vulnerable consumers, embracing new technology, playing our part in tackling climate change, enforcing high standards and ensuring the UK is a thought leader in international regulatory discussions.

Mr Rathi is currently the Chief Executive of London Stock Exchange plc. From September 2009 to April 2014, he was Director, Financial Services Group at HM Treasury. In this role, he led the Treasury’s work on the UK’s EU and international financial services interests.

Further information

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the conduct regulator for the UK’s financial markets, over 59,000 financial services firms, and the prudential supervisor for 49,000 firms, setting specific standards for 19,000 firms.

It has an overarching strategic objective of ensuring the relevant markets function well. To support this it has three operational objectives: to secure an appropriate degree of protection for consumers; to protect and enhance the integrity of the UK financial system; and to promote effective competition in the interests of consumers.

Under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 as amended, the Chief Executive of the Financial Conduct Authority is appointed by the Treasury.

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