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Three areas in England are set to launch new pilot projects to support rough sleepers with complex needs get off the streets into stable and affordable accommodation, Housing Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP has announced today (9 May 2018).

The projects in Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region and the West Midlands Combined Authority will offer individuals intensive support to recover from complex health issues, for example substance abuse and mental health difficulties and sustain their tenancies.

The pilot projects will be based on Housing First, an internationally proven approach to supporting rough sleepers into long-term accommodation.

Funding for the government’s Housing First Pilots was announced at Autumn Budget.

Housing Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said:

The evidence shows Housing First has an incredible rate of success in providing rough sleepers with the support they need to get off the streets and to rebuild their lives.

We are investing over £1.2 billion to break the homelessness cycle, but we know there’s more to do to help people off the streets for good. This is why the government is leading the way in implementing Housing First in England.

I believe these pilots will have a positive impact in their areas and I look forward to hearing about their successes over the coming months.

Housing First is a tried and tested approach to tackling long-term rough sleeping that puts the emphasis on finding individuals a secure and affordable home to live in, while providing them with expert support to rebuild their lives.

In Europe, Housing First projects have been successful at ending homelessness for at least 8 out of 10 people in the scheme. This is compared to hostel-based accommodation which has resulted in between 40% and 60% of users with complex needs leaving, or ejected, before their homelessness is resolved.

The government is additionally working with the National Housing Federation to look at providing additional, coordinated move-on accommodation for rough sleepers.

Further information

A full breakdown of allocations for Housing First is as follows:

Distribution	£ million
Liverpool City Region	7.7
Greater Manchester	8.0
West Midlands	9.6
Total	25.30

The Queen has approved the nomination of the Reverend Dr Emma Gwynneth Ineson, BA, MPhil, PhD, Principal of Trinity College, Bristol, to the Suffragan See of Penrith, in the Diocese of Carlisle in succession to the Right Reverend Robert John Freeman, BSc, MA, who resigned on the 5 April 2018.

The Queen has approved the nomination of the Venerable Timothy Richard Stratford, BSc, PhD, Archdeacon of Leicester in the Diocese of Leicester, to be appointed Dean of the Cathedral Church of Chester, following the resignation of the Very Reverend Gordon Ferguson McPhate, MB, CHB, MA, MD, MSc, MTh, on 30 September 2017.

Notes for editors

The Venerable Dr Timothy Stratford is aged 57. He studied at York University for his BSc and also at Sheffield University for his PhD. He trained for the ministry at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford in 1983. He served his title as a Curate at Mossley Hill in Liverpool diocese from 1986 to 1989 and then as Curate from 1989 to 1991 at St Helen, St Helens. From 1991 to 1994 he was the Bishop of Liverpool’s Domestic Chaplain. He was Vicar at West Derby from 1994 to 2003. From 2003 to 2012 he was Team Rector at Kirkby in Liverpool diocese. Since 2012 he has been Archdeacon of Leicester. He has served the national church as a member of General Synod for fifteen years and the Liturgical Commission for ten years. He has written and edited a number of books and booklets focusing mainly on contextually dependent worship and mission. His PHD was awarded in 2009 for a study of the mid-Victorian Slum Priest Ritualists.

Timothy is married to Jen and they have 3 children and one grandson. His interests include photography, cycling and music.

The Charity Commission has announced today that it has opened an investigation into the charity that runs Grangewood Independent Primary School in Newham, and has frozen the charity’s bank account following serious concerns about the charity’s governance. The investigation was opened on 15 April 2018 and on 27 April 2018 the regulator appointed joint interim managers to run the charity.

The charity’s purposes include promoting and providing for the advancement of education in accordance with the doctrines and principles of the Christian faith.

The charity has been experiencing financial difficulties and entered into a company voluntary arrangement in 2014. The charity’s premises were sold in 2015 which has allowed the school to keep operating. As a result of the death of one trustee and the resignation of another, the charity has recently been functioning with only one trustee. This is in breach of the charity’s governing document which requires 3 trustees to make decisions.

The Commission opened an inquiry to investigate its concerns and has taken action to freeze the charity’s bank account and protect the charity’s funds following a meeting with the charity’s trustee and their advisers. The Commission’s engagement was prompted by recent complaints about the charity’s governance and management.

The inquiry will examine the following regulatory issues:

• the governance, management and administration of the charity by the trustees, with particular regard to:
  • the extent to which the trustees have complied with the governing document of the charity;
  • the financial control and management of the charity
  • whether the trustees have avoided or adequately managed potential conflicts of interest;
  • the extent to which the trustees complied with the requirements of the Charities Act when disposing of the charity’s property in 2015; and
  • decisions regarding the charity’s future
• whether connected party transactions and remuneration to trustees have been properly authorised

Due to the lack of effective governance oversight over the charity, the Commission has appointed Geoff Carton-Kelly and Jason Daniel Baker of FRP Advisory as joint interim managers of the charity. This means that they will take on full control of the day-to-day management and administration of the charity from the current trustee until the Commission makes a further order.

The school presently remains in operation. Part of the Interim Managers’ duties will be to establish the viability of the charity and the school it operates and determine the most appropriate option regarding the charity’s future.

Ends

Notes to editors

1. The Charity Commission is the regulator of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work see the about us page on GOV.UK.
2. Search for charities on our check charity tool.
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.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) welcomes Sunrise Senior Living Ltd’s (Sunrise) decision to give money back to the vast majority of residents who paid such fees since 1 October 2015. This will apply to residents who have left or leave within 2 years of moving in to one of the company’s care homes. If the resident unfortunately dies within this time, their family will receive the compensation.

The move comes as part of the CMA’s ongoing investigation into how some care homes charge for their services. This uncovered that Sunrise’s description of its upfront fee – running to several thousands of pounds per person – and how it would be used, was unclear. Moreover, prospective residents were having to pay out before they had secured a place at the home.

The CMA also raised concerns that the fee was non-refundable once someone had lived in the home for more than 30 days.

On top of individual pay-outs of £3,000 on average, Sunrise has provided legally-binding commitments to stop charging these upfront fees altogether for future residents. They have also agreed to abide by new CMA guidance about the charging of fees after a resident has died, which is soon to be finalised and published following a consultation.

George Lusty, the CMA’s Senior Director for Consumer Protection, said:

Care home residents shouldn’t be required to pay out thousands of pounds without being clear what they’re getting for their money. So, it’s only right that residents at Sunrise care homes will now receive compensation if they’ve paid these fees, and that future residents won’t have to make such payments at all.

The CMA welcomes Sunrise’s constructive engagement and co-operation throughout our investigation. We’re now continuing our enforcement action against other care homes, and expect all homes to review their practices to make sure they aren’t breaking consumer law. We will act if we find evidence that they are.

The CMA’s ongoing consumer law investigation into fees charged by a number of care home providers has already led to one of the UK’s leading care home providers – Maria Mallaband – dropping a contract term requiring the payment of one month’s fees following the death of a resident.

It follows a year-long study of the residential care home market, which made several recommendations to help prospective residents and their families better understand the options available to them, and ensure residents receive more effective consumer protection.

As part of this, the CMA is working on new guidance about the practice of charging families after a resident has died, and the standards of behaviour they should be meeting to comply with consumer law.

The CMA understands that Sunrise has already started the process of contacting individuals (or their families) who are eligible for an offer of redress. If you believe that you or your family member is eligible and have not been contacted you can contact Sunrise at EnquiriesCF@sunriseseniorliving.com.

Notes to editors

• A summary of the undertakings can be found on the care homes case page.
• The CMA opened an investigation into a number of care homes providers in June 2017 due to concerns that some of the contract terms and/or practices they use may breach consumer law. The investigation is currently focused on charging of large, upfront fees and the requirement for fees to be paid for an extended period after a resident’s death. The CMA also made clear that if it identified serious concerns regarding potential breaches of consumer law on these, or other issues, it might decide to open further investigations.
• Whilst those companies operating or controlling Sunrise homes have fully co-operated and constructively engaged with the CMA, and agreed to make changes voluntarily and speedily, the companies do not accept that Sunrise care homes’ terms and practices breached the law. However, a decision has been made to settle on a compensation package and the companies have committed to stop charging large, one-off upfront fees to future UK residents. The final decision on whether a term or practice infringes the law rests with the courts and no such finding has been made in this case.
• The CMA plans to consult on comprehensive guidance for care homes on the standards of behaviour they should be meeting to comply with consumer law, this will include advice on large upfront payments. The CMA has already consulted on new guidance about the practice of charging families for extended periods after a resident has died. On both these issues, Sunrise had agreed to comply with the CMA’s advice once finalised and published.
• Compensation will be offered to residents who paid Sunrise’s Community Fee since 1 October 2015 – the date from which the CMA acquired its powers to secure financial redress – and remain in a UK Sunrise care home for less than 2 years. This includes the vast majority of residents who paid the fee and have already left or died, and going forward any current residents who leave or die within 2 years of moving in. Compensation will be calculated on a pro-rata basis depending on how long the resident lived in the home and the size of the Community Fee they paid.
• Enquiries should be directed to press@cma.gsi.gov.uk or 020 3738 6460.

The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Charles Bowman will visit Jakarta on 9 May 2018 in his capacity as a global ambassador for the UK’s financial and professional sector. The Lord Mayor will discuss areas of collaboration with Indonesia on infrastructure finance, green finance and financial technology (fintech). The Lord Mayor is scheduled to meet Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, Minister for State Owned Enterprise Rini Soemarno and Head of Jakarta Stock Exchange Tito Sulistio. He will also open the Indonesian Stock Exchange, where he will take part in a Green Finance Summit and meet interlocutors from infrastructure projects and financial institutions.

The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Charles Bowman said:

I am hugely excited about my visit to Jakarta, one of the most vibrant and exciting cities in South East Asia. London’s strengths as a leading international financial centre and foreign exchange hub perfectly complement Indonesia’s drive to grow its economy and expand further on the world stage. I look forward to discussing how we can further support Indonesia’s ambitious infrastructure plans, and share our expertise in infrastructure finance, green finance and fintech.

Notes to Editors:

1. Lord Bowman was elected as the 690th Lord Mayor of the City of London in Sept 2017
2. Find out about roles and responsibilities of Lord Mayor of the City of London here
3. For further information please contact Embassy’s Spokesperson Ms Faye Belnis at Faye.Belnis@fco.gov.uk