Major grantmaker restructures staff to better deliver upcoming strategy
The Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales has restructured its staff team before the launch of its new strategy next month.
The foundation told Third Sector the changes had resulted in a slight increase to its 55-strong workforce, with the final headcount yet to be confirmed due to partnership agreements that are still to be negotiated.
“We’ve slightly increased our headcount in order to generate more money and resources for communities, and invested in more senior local roles, particularly in Wales,” a spokesperson for the grantmaker said.
Six staff are leaving the organisation as a result of the changes, either through redundancy, retirement or to pursue new opportunities elsewhere, the spokesperson said.
The foundation has merged its regional managers team, which supported community organisations during their time as partners, and its communities team, which carried out work for long-term local change, under one directorate.
For the full story, click here.
‘Huge relief’ as government exempts charities from new consumer rights rules
Charities have welcomed the government’s decision to exclude some charitable memberships from new consumer rights rules after warnings they could “cripple” heritage organisations.
The government announced it would legislate to exclude some charitable memberships from the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which will come into effect this year.
It comes after heritage charity chiefs warned the Prime Minister that the provisions of the act contained a “loophole” that would allow charities’ membership schemes to be abused.
The bill aims to provide additional rights for consumers, including a two-week cooling-off period on subscriptions, which will allow people to cancel their memberships for a refund.
In response to its consultation on the bill, the Department for Business and Trade has said it will “remove certain charitable memberships from the new subscription regime”, following concerns raised by heritage organisations.
“We are committed to maintaining existing consumer protections but also recognise the public benefit delivered by cultural and heritage organisations that protect and provide access to unique collections, places and experiences,” the DBT said.
For the full story, click here.
British Heart Foundation receives largest donation
The £6m gift, from the Garfield Weston Foundation, will support the BHF’s Centre of Research Excellence in Advanced Cardiac Therapies, which aims to develop the first therapies to stimulate heart repair and regeneration in patients following a heart attack and in those with established heart failure.
The centre, which was opened in January last year, is a joint initiative between the BHF and the Medical Research Council, with a total planned investment of about £24m over the initial seven years.
The donation came about after the charity submitted an expression of interest form which led to meetings and full proposals that were accepted by the grantmaker, a BHF spokesperson said.
Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the BHF, said: “This transformational gift from Garfield Weston Foundation will supercharge BHF’s ambitions and accelerate impact for those who need us most.”
For the full story, click here.