Water rescue charities around the UK have been awarded £913,000 by Maritime Minister John Hayes today (24 January 2017).

This is the third round of funding provided under a 5 year, £5 million scheme, announced as part of the 2014 budget statement.

The grant supports charities running local lifeboat and rescue services, helping those in danger on and around inland and inshore waterways, including during flooding and other incidents. The money can be used to buy new lifeboats and other equipment such as lifejackets and safety gear.

Maritime Minister, John Hayes, said:

Every day countless volunteers in water rescue charities across our island nation carry out vital work during emergencies, not only around our coasts but also keeping our rivers, lakes and inshore waters safe.

It is imperative that we value and support their tireless efforts. I am delighted to be able to announce the latest round of funding, ensuring they have the equipment and resources they need to provide their round-the-clock lifesaving services.

An expert panel – including representatives from the devolved administrations, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Royal National Lifeboat Institution, and the Royal Yachting Association – assessed applications submitted to the Department for Transport on the basis of:

• how the equipment or training will be used to support lifesaving, search and rescue operations and flood response capability locally and nationally
• whether the funding will deliver wider community benefits
• how the equipment and skills will bring sustainable benefits

Bids for funding were accepted from UK charities as defined in the Charities Act 2006. Other criteria are set out in the guidance notes published on GOV.UK.

The annual £1 million fund also covers administration of the scheme.

List of new grant recipients

The Charity Commission, the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, has opened a statutory inquiry into Beth Yosef Foundation, registered charity number 1071268. The inquiry was opened on 21 December 2016.

The charity has objects to advance the Jewish Religion, in particular as practised by Sephardi Jews. The charity was identified by the Commission for a compliance visit, as its objects suggested it might be operating in high risk areas and it had failed to submit annual returns to the Commission since February 2012. The Commission met with a trustee of the charity in November 2016.

The visit identified a number of serious regulatory concerns relating to the administration and financial management of the charity by the trustees. The Commission’s concerns include a failure by the trustees to submit their annual returns, whether the charity has any validly appointed trustees, loan agreements entered into by the charity and the sale of property owned by the charity.

The inquiry will examine:

• whether the trustees are properly appointed and whether decisions made by current trustees regarding the administration and management of the charity have been validly made, in particular in relation to the disposal of charity property
• whether any potential conflicts of interest have been identified and correctly managed by the trustees
• the financial management of the charity and application of charitable funds, in particular relating to rental income received from a property owned by the charity and how rental income has been applied
• whether or not the trustees have complied with and fulfilled their duties and responsibilities as trustees under charity law
• whether there has been any misconduct and/or mismanagement by the trustees

The Commission stresses that opening an inquiry is not in itself a finding of wrong doing.

The purpose of an inquiry to examine issues in detail and investigate and establish the facts so that the regulator can ascertain whether there has been misconduct and mismanagement; establish the extent of the risk to the charity’s property, beneficiaries or work; decide what action needs to be taken to resolve the serious concerns, if necessary using its investigative, protective and remedial powers to do so.

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 by the Commission are available on GOV.UK.

The charity’s details can be viewed on the Commission’s online charity search tool.

Ends

PR 04/17

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 our annual report.
2. Search for charities on our online register.
3. Section 46 of the Charities Act 2011 gives the Commission the power to institute inquiries. The opening of an inquiry gives the Commission access to a range of investigative, protective and remedial legal powers.
4. The Commission’s decision to announce the opening of a statutory inquiry is based on whether it is in the public interest to do so and with consideration of our objective to increase public trust and confidence in charities.

A call for evidence has today (23 January 2017) been launched to seek views on the educational experiences and outcomes for some of the country’s most vulnerable children.

Minister for Vulnerable Children and Families Edward Timpson has asked Dame Christine Lenehan to conduct an independent review looking at the outcomes and experiences of children and young people attending residential special schools and colleges.

The review is designed to find practical outcomes for the government and other agencies who work with this group of young people, who often have the most complex needs and require more intensive support.

It will look at the characteristics of this group, how and why they are placed in residential special schools and colleges, the support that’s available to them during and after their placement and the ways in which families say their experience of these settings could be improved.

To ensure that the review is informed by a wide range of views and evidence from the sector, Dame Christine has launched a call for evidence and is asking for contributions from people working in residential settings, students attending these residential schools and colleges, their parents or carers, and children, young people and adults who have now left these settings. Councils, academics and other sector groups are also encouraged to take part.

Director of the Council for Disabled Children since 2003, Dame Christine will be supported in the review by Mark Geraghty, chief executive of the Seashell Trust, which runs an outstanding residential special school and college for children and young people with complex needs.

A Department for Education spokesperson said:

Every child, no matter the obstacles they face, should have the same opportunities for success as any other. This independent review will look at how the experiences of children and young people attending residential special schools and college can be improved, to ensure the right support is in place.

We are grateful to Dame Christine Lenehan and to Mark Geraghty for conducting this review. Together they bring a wealth of experience from across the education and social care spectrum.

The call for evidence runs until March 17. The review will report back to the government later this year.