Paul has submitted Recycling Lives. The name of the charity is a rather tasteless play on words - it's objects appear to be running half-way houses for ex-convicts/the homeless and getting them to work in waste recycling. It's a textbook fakecharity website of course, although rather disappoiningly, they are inconsistent as between "Recycling Lives"(two words, capitalised) and "recyclinglives" (one word, but not capitalised), when any self-respecting fakecharity would call itself "RecyclingLives".
Their first set of accounts for Recycling Lives (UK) Limited to 30 April 2008 (filed, but not yet published at The Charities Commission, although they are already on the Companies House website) show total income of £23,585, of which £21,860 was "voluntary donations" of £21,860. On page 2 it explains that £20,000 came from The Westminster Foundation, which I assume is the one set up by the Duke of Westminster, rather than The Westminster Foundation for Democracy, which is funded by The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (not "Colonial"!).
On page 2 they also explain that:
In partnership with a range of partners, including the North West Development Agency, Preston City Council, Lancashire Probation Service, Lancashire Adult Services, the University of Central Lancashire, the Preston Homeless Network, HM Prisons Kirkham, Preston, Wymott & Haverigg, and a range of many other statutory and voluntary service providers, [our] new premises in Kent Street will offer a holistic range of services to the socially excluded.
So basically, it's part of the probation service. Why do they bother dressing it up as a charity?
This is only the tip of the iceberg of course, the building itself is owned by a separate company called Recycling Lives Limited. There are plenty of other government bodies, quangos and fakecharities in its list of "partners" of course: AutoBreakers, Business Action on Homelessness, Department for Communities & Local Government: Hostels Capital Improvement Programme, Emmaus Preston, Fox Street Community Night Shelter, HM Prison Service, Homeless Link, Lancashire College, Lancashire County Council, National Probation Service, New Reg, NHS Lancashire Care, North West Regional Development Agency, Preston City Council, Progress Recruitment, Shelter, University Of Central Lancashire.
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8 comments:
How does a charity with at least 85% of funding from bona-fide, not-government-affiliated, donations count as an FC? I thought the whole point of FCs was that they were paid by government agencies to lobby for the government's policy goals, not just that they worked alongside government agencies from time to time.
That was just the first year. I'll have to get hold of the accounts for this company and its 'associated company' next year to see how much taxpayer cash they've burned through.
If they are pursuing perfectly legitimate goals (offender management and recycling) then why pretend that they are a charity?
It's sad that as we become more cynical about the subterfuge we are more reticent to give to charity at all. But I just won't these days - who knows whose pockets it's going into?
May I state that your FakeCharity posts are a particular favorite of mine? Nick wants to run for MP after we get married and move to England together. While I'm waiting for my British citizenship to be approved, I plan to get involved with charity work which will also hopefully help the reputation of his campaign.
After all, every politician needs a charity aiding wife along side him! I will see if I can volunteer with Recycling Lives as it has quite the catchy name and I'm sure it will earn my future husband lots of votes in the election. ;-)
Meg, good plan. Once he's an MP you can set up your own charity, divert loads of government money into it and employ you as a consultant, like a proper MP's wife.
Good stuff as usual.
Small point: the "C" in FCO is "Commonwealth" and has been since about the mid 1960s. Perhaps you could persuade the WFD to have a look at things in their own back yard.
PW, my bad, I have amended.
"If they are pursuing perfectly legitimate goals (offender management and recycling) then why pretend that they are a charity?"
Because whatever NOMS are called this week is so bureaucratic and useless that it's easier to do innovative things with offenders using private donations, such as the Duke of Westminster's foundation?
Next year's accounts will be interesting, I agree.
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