We have designed a welcome pack for new charity trustees. This pack can also be used by existing trustees to refresh knowledge and skills.

A new welcome pack is available for charity trustees which focuses on the main duties of the role.

It provides essential information to help you understand governance basics, financial filing requirements and how the Charity Commission can offer support. It also suggests practical steps that can be taken to carry out trustee duties effectively.

From today (30 April) the pack will be emailed to all new trustees who register their email address with us. You can sign into our change charity details service and add email addresses for trustees.

We tested the content of the welcome pack with many stakeholders from across the charity sector. The feedback told us the content would be useful for existing trustees, so we have made it publically available on our website to use as refresher training.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the testing of this pack. We aim to continually improve our content based on your feedback .

Published 30 April 2018

Thank you for your feedback

Image of a class 315 unit similar to those involved in the incident (Photo by PeterSkuce on Wikimedia Commons. Used under Creative Commons)

At around 22:09 hrs on 8 April 2018, a passenger train was stopped after passing a signal at danger. When it restarted, it proceeded towards a junction over which another train was passing, approximately 400 metres ahead of it.

We have undertaken a preliminary examination into the circumstances surrounding this incident. Having assessed the evidence which has been gathered to date, we have decided to publish a safety digest.

The safety digest will be made available on our website in the next few weeks.

Published 30 April 2018

This merger is likely to be subject to review by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

In major mergers, it is typical for the companies to engage in ‘pre-notification’ discussions with the CMA to ensure they are supplying the information it will require before a formal investigation can begin. These discussions can last for a number of weeks. Once the CMA’s formal investigation begins, an initial, ‘Phase 1’ review then runs for up to 40 working days.

During a Phase 1 review, the CMA would assess whether the deal could reduce competition and choice for shoppers. After this first phase, the merger could be cleared or, if a potential reduction in competition is identified, it would be referred for an in-depth, Phase 2 investigation lasting up to 24 weeks – unless the merging parties offered immediate proposals to address any competition concerns identified.

Companies can also request to ‘fast track’ the referral of merger cases to Phase 2.

A Phase 2 investigation can result in a merger being cleared, prohibited, or allowed to proceed subject to ‘remedies’ such as the sale of parts of one or both businesses.

More information on the CMA’s approach to mergers can be found here.

More than 800 guests attended the reception, including high-ranking national and provincial government officials, legislators from different political parties, businessmen, diplomats, academics, artists, sportsmen, journalists, and members of the civil society.

British Ambassador Mark Kent gave a speech in which he highlighted that “the presence of so many leading figures from Argentina’s political, economic, social and cultural life reflects the enormous progress achieved in bilateral relations in recent times”.

At the end of the speech, he offered a toast to the President and the people of the Argentine Republic, and to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. A band of the Argentine Air Force played the Argentine and the British national anthems, and then offered a brief performance in the Residence’s gardens.

The event was supported by UK companies, all of which had plenty of opportunity to display their products and services and offer various examples of British excellence.

The Queen celebrates her birthday twice a year: on the anniversary of the day she was born, 21 April, and then on the third Saturday in June which is the date of the official celebration, marked by the ceremony of “Trooping the Colour.”

Photos available in the Flickr gallery