More than 5 million people are at risk of the devastating effects of flooding in the UK, with thousands of properties at risk in the south west.

The Environment Agency is looking for enthusiastic people to help manage flood risk throughout the south west and make a real difference to people’s lives and to the environment we live in.

The Agency is looking for people from all walks of life to fill vacancies on the South West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC). Being an RFCC member is an exciting opportunity to help guide local flood and coastal management across the whole region.

The RFCC covers Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

The successful applicants will play an important role in deciding on local priorities, approving programmes of work, and supporting the Environment Agency and lead local flood authorities in working with communities and other partners.

They will have a key role in balancing local priorities and making sure that investment is co-ordinated at the river catchment and shoreline scale, as well as promoting the consideration of climate change impacts in local decision making.

The Environment Agency is recruiting a member to represent land/country farming and another member to represent business interests.

Land/country farming

• provide a land management perspective at committee – working with the inland member and conservation members
• help the committee to understand issues affecting inland communities, landowners and farmers and how this impacts on river process and the coast
• monitor and review flood risk management and the river needing to be addressed
• provide a link between the committee, land management and farming groups in the committee’s area
• advocate good soil management with the farming sector to benefit flood risk and reduce diffuse pollution

Business interests

• experience in securing funding/investment from/for the private sector
• currently working in the business sector and understands the impact that flooding can have on private business
• established links to economic/regeneration institutions such as chamber of commerce, local enterprise partnership and other business leader forums

People from a wide range of backgrounds are invited to apply for the posts, especially those from black and minority ethnic backgrounds and women who are currently under-represented on regional flood and coastal committees.

A key role will be ensuring the aims of the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy are embodied within the committee’s decisions and to ensure consistency between strategic and local plans.

Further information and how to apply is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/south-west-regional-flood-and-coastal-committee or contact pamela.udy@environment-agency.gov.uk on 02084 746298. The closing date for applications is Thursday 5 April at 5.30pm.

Engineers in a busy workshop.

The review, to be led by Dame Glenys Stacey, will look at opportunities for improving regulation and enforcement pre and post EU Exit, seek out ways to reduce duplication and allow farmers to concentrate on upholding key environmental and animal welfare standards as they produce fantastic British food.

For example, the current inspection regime can result in farmers being visited by as many as five different bodies – the Rural Payments Agency, Natural England, the Animal Plant and Health Agency, the Environment Agency or their local authority – all asking for similar information.

Each visit adds to the burden on farmers, and rigidity of the Common Agriculture Policy rules require inspections of precise criteria such as field margin dimensions and the specific placement of trees in fields. Equally, inspections over lapses such as slurry management and welfare standards are often haphazard.

The review comes as the government is preparing to publish an agriculture Command Paper that consults on future policy in this country after we leave the European Union.

Speaking at the NFU Conference today, Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

The rules associated with current subsidy payments are unwieldy and, very often, counter-productive. They require farmers to spend long days ensuring conformity with bureaucratic processes which secure scarcely any environmental benefits and which, in turn, require a vast and inflexible bureaucracy to police.

As does the current farming inspection regime, which, despite several recent attempts at simplification, remains as unwieldy as ever. Every year, farmers are confronted by a barrage of inspections from different agencies, often duplicating costs in both time and money.

I am delighted to announce that Dame Glenys Stacey will be conducting a thorough and comprehensive review of this regime, seeing how these inspections can be removed, reduced or improved to reduce the burden on farmers, while maintaining and enhancing our animal and plant health standards.

This review is not only long-required but also very timely as we guide our future approach and maximise the opportunities of leaving the EU. It will provide answers to some key general questions to guide our future approach, subject to the outcome of our negotiations with the EU.

Dame Glenys Stacey said:

I am delighted to be asked to lead the much needed review of the farm inspection regime. With farming at the heart of the quality and safety of the food on our plate as well, and central to the stewardship of our wildlife, land and rivers, this is an excellent time to be working with farmers and their representatives, and all those who inspect farms, so as to get to a sensible inspection regime, post Brexit.

Dame Glenys has over twenty years’ experience in driving reform within public sector organisations. As a former Chief Executive of Animal health, a precursor to the current Animal and Plant Health Agency, she is well versed in the inspection challenge facing our farmers.

The Command Paper will provide further detail on government proposals to design agricultural support fit for the future after we leave the EU.

1. Dame Glenys is an experienced regulator, chief inspector and chief executive. A solicitor by profession, she has over twenty years’ CEO experience, having led the start up or turnaround of a number of public sector organisations responsible for legal and/or regulatory services. As the former CEO of Defra’s Animal Health Agency she has valuable experience of farm inspection regimes, and the nature and value of farming in the UK.

2. Dame Glenys brings regulation and inspection experience from other public services. She joined Ofqual, the exams regulator in 2011 as its CEO and Chief Regulator, leading the implementation of the government’s planned reforms to qualifications in England and providing advice to government on how best to deliver government’s policy aims for qualifications. In March 2016 Dame Glenys took up the post of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Probation. The inspectorate sets standards and drives improvement in probation services, with the joint aims of reducing reoffending and protecting the public.

The Attorney General for England and Wales, Jeremy Wright QC MP, representing the UK Government, and the Attorneys General of eight of the UK’s Overseas Territories (Anguilla; Bermuda; the British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Montserrat; Pitcairn; the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia; and the Turks and Caicos Islands), the Senior Advisory Counsel of Gibraltar, Solicitors General of the Crown Dependencies of Guernsey and Jersey, and a representative from the US Department of Justice met in Bermuda from 13-15 February 2018 to discuss a range of topics relating to the rule of law and administration of justice in the Territories and to enhance our mutual cooperation.

The Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC MP said:

During the conference we discussed cooperation on a number of important topics, including anti-corruption, transparency in the financial services industries in the Territories, child safeguarding, human rights, hurricane recovery efforts, criminal justice issues and support for the Territories’ good governance. We also had the opportunity to discuss the Territories’ interests in our Exit from the EU.

We celebrated the extension to Bermuda and St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha of the UN Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women demonstrating our shared commitment to raising human rights standards across the Territories.

We also welcomed continued work by the Territories with financial centres to support international efforts to tackle criminal financing and to promote tax transparency, in particular the implementation of bilateral arrangements on beneficial ownership, and the example set by the Territories as early adopters of the OECD Common Reporting Standard.

We also highlighted important developments in anti-corruption, including ongoing work in Bermuda and the Turks and Caicos Islands towards extension of key conventions to their jurisdictions.

Those in attendance committed to:

1. Continue involving the Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies in negotiations for leaving the EU, ensuring their interests are taken into account as we move to Phase 2. The UK Government has also committed to supporting the Overseas Territories Governments and the Crown Dependencies in their preparedness planning for EU Exit.

2. Continue to work in partnership with Territory governments to ensure that our financial sectors are hostile to illicit finances, to implement the bilateral arrangements on beneficial ownership, and to support each jurisdiction to adopt and implement international standards, including compliance with Financial Action Task Force standards, where they have not done so.

3. Work with the Overseas Territories Criminal Justice Adviser and Law Enforcement Adviser and with in-Territory stakeholders to build the legislative framework necessary to support reform of the criminal justice system, improve efficiency in the investigation and prosecution of crime, as well as efforts to prevent crime, supported by UK programme funds where necessary.

4. Continue to support efforts by relevant Territory governments on hurricane preparedness and recovery, including continued coordination and support between Territories.

5. Support the Territories to achieve extension of core Human Rights conventions where these have not been extended, and to complete a review of outstanding reservations against core UN human rights treaties.

6. Further enhance cooperation on child safeguarding through progress under the Overseas Territories Memorandum of Understanding and finalisation of National Response Plans and work towards extension of the Lanzarote Convention.

7. Work in partnership with Territories to address gaps in legislation pertaining to maritime obligations.

Around £1 million of funds have been made available for charity as a result of the Charity Commission’s engagement with a grant-making charity.

In an inquiry report published today, the regulator outlines how governance failings resulted in unauthorised payments totalling approximately £650,000 to three trustees who were acting as consultants for the charity’s wholly owned subsidiary limited company.

The Commission opened its inquiry in February 2017 after newly appointed solicitors sought the current and former trustees’ relief from liability for the unauthorised payments, as well as permission to sell 99% of its shares in the subsidiary limited company.

The inquiry looked into the administration, governance and management of the charity, specifically regarding decision making and conflicts of interest; whether the proposed sale was in the best interests of the charity; whether there had been any private benefit to the current and former trustees; and whether restitution of funds was necessary.

The inquiry found that the consultants were conflicted as they had been trustees of the charity at the time of the payments, and had failed to identify or adequately manage this conflict of interest. The trustees were also unable to demonstrate that adequate records of their decisions had been maintained.

The inquiry considered the payments amounted to significant private advantage and financial benefit, as well as a direct breach of the charity’s governing document and the trustees’ legal duties. The trustees were also in violation of company law which requires them, as directors, to ensure records of their decisions are retained for at least 10years.

Although the inquiry recognised that the trustees had made “honest mistakes”, there was a strict prohibition against private benefit in the governing document. The Commission therefore engaged further and the trustees agreed to seek recovery of the £650,000 and adopt a formal conflicts of interest policy.

After reviewing the charity’s records the Commission was satisfied that the trustees had correctly managed conflicts of interest around the sale of the shares; the conflicted trustees had been removed from decision making and a new independent trustee appointed. The trustees had also sought independent professional advice and negotiated better terms to ensure that the sale was in the charity’s best interest.

The Commission therefore granted consent under s105 and s201 of the Charities Act to authorise the transaction, resulting in a further £350,000 going to the charity.

The inquiry remained open to ensure that the repayment took place, and was closed on 20 February with the publication of this report.

Harvey Grenville, Head of Investigations and Enforcement at the Charity Commission said:

Actively managing conflicts of interest is a fundamental principle of trustee decision making. We recognise that trustees are human beings who may make honest mistakes, but the bottom line is that you must always act in the best interests of your charity.

Our intervention has allowed this charity to claw back a significant amount of money that can now go to charitable causes. I hope this will encourage other charities to be mindful of their duties and consult our guidance when making important decisions.

The Commission’s full report of its inquiry is available on GOV.UK.

Notes to editors:

1. The Commission’s policy is to report on the outcome of statutory inquiries unless the public interest in not publishing would outweigh the public interest in publishing. The Commission carefully considered submissions from this charity which said that its identification in the inquiry report would be severely detrimental to the charity and its beneficiaries. However the Commission concluded that our findings should be published anonymously so that lessons could be learnt by other charities.
2. 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.
3. Search for charities on our check charity tool.