[2009]

UK Charity Number: 294841

Website: http://www.cpag.org.uk/

Stated Aims

CPAG RAISES AWARENESS OF THE CAUSES, EXTENT, NATURE AND IMPACT OF POVERTY AS WELL AS STRATEGIES FOR ITS ERADICATION AND PREVENTION. THE ORGANISATION ALSO BRINGS ABOUT POSITIVE POLICY CHANGES FOR FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN IN POVERTY AND ENABLES THOSE ELIGIBLE FOR INCOME MAINTENANCE TO ACCESS THEIR FULL ENTITLEMENT.

Context

The Child Poverty Action Group lobbies for the expansion of the welfare state under the pretext of ending “child poverty”. They have campaigned for free school meals to be given to all children and for benefits to be given to illegal immigrants. They have opposed attempts to cut benefits for people who refuse reasonable offers of work and have opposed proposals to use lie detectors to detect benefit cheats.

The group specialises in lobbying and test cases.

“Lobbying is a fundamental part of the Child Poverty Action Group’s work. Through written and oral briefings, we ensure that our message is delivered to decision-makers locally, regionally and nationally.

CPAG will often write briefings for key debates in Parliament and can brief decision-makers and their staff via the telephone and internet.

The charity indulges in the peculiar fantasy that inequality is a bigger problem that poverty and that economics is a zero sum game, as in April 2009 when it joined Save the Children to call for higher welfare payments.

Kate Green, of the Child Poverty Action Group, said that…

“Part of the problem is… many people have seen their prosperity improve over the last 10 years, so we have become a much more unequal country,” she said.

“That is very damaging for the people who just haven’t kept up, and it really is quite wrong morally, and it’s economically very stupid actually, not to make sure that we share the resources more equally and protect those who have least.”

Details

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In 2008, the charity received a total income of £2,775,000; of which

• HM revenue and Customs: £142,000
• The Scottish Executive: £338,000
• DCSF & London Councils: £20,000
• Local Government Association: £16,000

  • —
  • Total £516,000 (18.6% of all income)

[2009]

UK Charity Number: 288285

Website: www.4children.org.uk

Stated Aims

TO PROMOTE THE CARE AND EDUCATION OF CHILDREN IN NEED OF CARE OUT OF SCHOOL HOURS AND SCHOOL HOLIDAYS IN THE INTERESTS OF THEIR SOCIAL WELFARE WITH THE OBJECT OF IMPROVING THEIR WELFARE AND CONDITIONS OF LIFE

Context

Complained about the “media feeding frenzy” surrounding 13 year old father Alfie Patten in February 2009.

Details

According to its website:

4Children offers authoritative advice and strategic support to help turn policy into practice working with government departments such as the Treasury, Department for Education and Skills and Department of Health.

In practice, this seems to largely involve them applauding government policies…

4Children welcomes ‘Think Family’ approach to support families at risk

National charity welcomes renewed commitment to end child poverty

Government social mobility white paper puts investment in children centre stage

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…and spending government money. Its 2007/08 accounts show a total income of £5,347,844, of which:

• Department for Education & Skills: £1,100,00
• Essex County Council: £588,785
• The Home Office: £130,000
• European Social Fund: £60,885
• Future Builders England: £228,587
• Essex Children’s Centre: 270,000
• —
• Total: £2,378,257 (44.5% of all income)

In addition, 4Children received substantial sums from individual county councils, including £351,518 in ‘other contracts and grants’.

Only £8,704 was received in voluntary donations and gifts.

[2009]

UK Charity Number: 1042482

Website: http://www.quit.org.uk/

Stated Aims

QUIT PROVIDES A RANGE OF INNOVATIVE AND EFFECTIVE SERVICES INCLUDING TELEPHONE QUITLINES STAFFED BY TRAINED COUNSELLORS AND ACCESSIBLE IN EIGHT LANGUAGES. QUIT’S HEALTH AND INEQUALITIES PROGRAMME PROVIDES AN INNOVATIVE RANGE OF COMMUNITY BASED SUPPORT AND PARTNERSHIPS. THE QUIT BECAUSE PROGRAMME PROVIDES COMPREHENSIVE HELP AND ADVICE TO YOUNG PEOPLE.

Context

Contributed to the Department of Health’s 2008 Tobacco Consultation which led to the government passing a law to ban tobacco displays in shops.

Details

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QUIT was a member of the SmokeFree Coalition which campaigned for the UK government to ignore its manifesto commitment to exempt ‘wet’ pubs and private members’ clubs from the 2007 smoking ban.

According to it 2007/08 accounts, QUIT had a total income of £2,054,477, of which:

• European Union: £482,181
• —
• Total £482,181 (23.5% of all income)

The majority of its income comes from ‘services to help smokers to quit’, presumably paid for by local and/or central government.

[2009]

UK Charity Number: 1006714

Website: http://www.nosmokingday.org.uk/

Stated Aims

NO SMOKING DAY’S MAIN ACTIVITY IS ORGANISING AN ANNUAL HEALTH AWARENESS CAMPAIGN THAT AIMS TO HELP SMOKERS WHO WANT TO STOP SMOKING BY CREATING A SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT AND BY HIGHLIGHTING THE MANY SOURCES OF HELP AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE WHEN THEY ARE READY TO STOP.

Context

No Smoking Day is a member of SmokeFree Action, which is campaigning for higher cigarette taxes, tobacco display bans, plain packaging of cigarettes and smoking bans in cars.

Summary

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According to its 2007/08 accounts, No Smoking Day received an income of £745,804, of which:

• Department of Health: £250,000
• NHS Scotland: £25,000
• Welsh Assembly: £30,000
• Northern Ireland: £7,000
• Armed forces: £17,793
  —
• Total £329,793 (44.2% of all income)

Most of the rest of its revenue came from the sale of No Smoking Day products. There is no record of any voluntary donations from the public.

UK Charity Number: 1120834

Website: http://www.ashwales.co.uk/

Stated Aims

ALERTING THE PUBLIC TO THE DANGERS OF TOBACCO USE AND TO SEEK TO PREVENT THE DISABILITY AND DEATH WHICH IT CAUSES.

Context

Member of the SmokeFree Alliance and respondent to the 2008 Tobacco Consultation. Led the battle for the Welsh smoking ban of 2007. Currently campaigning for further extreme and untested anti-tobacco measures such as plain-packaging of cigarettes.

Details

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According to its 2009/10 accounts, ASH Wales received £113,000 from the Welsh government and £49,968 from the Pfizer Foundation (n.b. Pfizer manufactures Nicorette and Chantix which are both medications to help people to stop smoking).

Its total revenue as shown in its 2009/10 accounts was £234,236. Of which:

• Welsh Assembly: £119,000
• —
• Total £119,000 (50.8% of all income)

The next biggest donor was the Pfizer Foundation with £45,168 (nb. Pfizer make Nicorette products). Just £2,697 came from voluntary public donations (1% of total income).

UK Charity Number: 1056565

Website: http://www.aomrc.org.uk/

Stated Aims

THE ACADEMY’S PRINCIPAL ACTIVITY IS SHARING AND CO-ORDINATING THE WORK OF THE MEDICAL ROYAL COLLEGES AND FACULTIES. THE ACADEMY PRODUCES GENERIC DOCUMENTS AND BRINGS TOGETHER EXPERTS IN ITS SUBCOMMITTEES TO SHARE BEST PRACTICE AND ENSURE THE MAINTENANCE OF STANDARDS OF TRAINING AND EDUCATION.

Context

Members of the Alcohol Health Alliance which calls for a minimum price on alcohol, higher taxes on alcohol and bans on alcohol advertising.

Details

Its 2008/09 accounts show a total income of £5,064,179, of which:

• The Revalidation Fund: £2,805,902
• Medical Management Fund: £254,149
• Health Inequalities Forum Fund: £6,776
• e-Lth Fund: £233,463
• (All of these organisations are financed by the Department of Health)
• –
• Total: £3,300,290 (65.2% of all income)

[2009]

UK Charity Number: 1059686

Website: http://www.weightconcern.com/

Stated Aims

THE PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES FOR WHICH WEIGHT CONCERN IS ESTABLISHED ARE: (A) TO ADVANCE THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT THE CAUSES, PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF OBESITY; (B) TO IDENTIFY MORE EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS FOR OBESITY; (C) TO PROVIDE EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN THE MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION OF OBESITY.

Context

Lobbies government for measures to defuse the "obesity time-bomb" that will supposedly explode in 2010. Its campaign revolves around behaviour modification, legislation and requesting more money for obesity programmes.

According to its website:

The government’s intentions are admirable but they do not know how to change people’s behaviour, and are in danger of wasting money promoting unhelpful initiatives. Weight Concern calls on the Department of Health to spend public money wisely and invest in organisations like our own.

It is a supporter of Sustain, it supports plans for the state to pay people to lose weight, and is extremely vocal on every issue regarding obesity and diet.

Details

Created in 2002 with a Department of Health grant, Weight Concern continues to lobby the very people who fund them.

Its 2006/07 accounts show a total income of £161,414, of which: 

It received just £1,520 in public donations.

(In 2007, the US Food and Drug Administration banned the obesity drug Rimonabault, after it was linked to a spate of suicides. In Britain, Weight Concern publicly defended the drug, claiming the risk of suicide was "low". In addition to its state-funding, Weight Concern is financed by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.)

[2009]

UK Charity Number: 1018643

Website: http://www.sustainweb.org

Stated Aims:

SUSTAIN: THE ALLIANCE FOR BETTER FOOD AND FARMING, ADVOCATES FOOD AND AGRICULTURE POLICIES AND PRACTICES THAT ENHANCE THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF PEOPLE AND ANIMALS, IMPROVE THE WORKING AND LIVING ENVIRONMENT, ENRICH SOCIETY AND CULTURE AND PROMOTE EQUITY. WE REPRESENT AROUND 100 NATIONAL PUBLIC INTEREST ORGANISATIONS, AND ARE INDEPENDENT FROM THE AGRI-FOOD INDUSTRY.

Context

Sustain was founded in 1999 and campaigns for a near-vegan diet, as its coordinator, Jeanette Longfield, told The Ecologist magazine:

Ecologist: So how would we need to change our diet for it to become more amenable to organic farming?

Jeanette: A lot less meat and dairy, and a lot more fruit, veg and cereals.

Ecologist: And if we were to do that?

Jeanette: Then you’d need less land, as a lot of the land is used for growing crops for feeding animals. Which we don’t need.

Details

The charity is a modern-day ‘back to the land’ charity that campaigns for people to consume less meat and milk in favour of more organic food and vegetables. It opposes intensive farming, wants a ban on "junk food" advertising and claims that eating the ‘wrong’ food causes mental illness.

Its 2007/08 accounts show a total income of £1,222,891, of which:

It is also funded by the Plunkett Foundation which is, in turn, funded by the government.

[2009]

UK Charity Number: 1010397

Website: http://www.wen.org.uk

THE PRINCIPAL ACTIVITY OF THE COMPANY IS TO PROMOTE THE PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION OF HUMAN HEALTH AND IN PARTICULAR THE HEALTH OF WOMEN AND OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT BY THE ADVANCEMENT OF RESEARCH AND EDUCATION.

Summary

Generic wimmin’s group with added green credentials. It claims that "women are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change". It conducts environmental and what it calls "environmenstrual" campaigns. Members of Stop Climate Chaos.

Details

Its 2007/08 accounts show a total income of £170,976

It received a further £10,000 from Awards for All (the National Lottery).

(It fared even better in 2007, when it received £60,000 from the Department of the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, as well as £87,786 from the London Boroughs and £17,544 from the Department for Communities and Local Government.)

[2009]

UK Charity Number: 0327215

Website: http://www.pan-uk.org

Stated Aims

PAN UK WORKS TO ELIMINATE THE DANGERS OF TOXIC PESTICIDES TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTH, TO REDUCE PESTICIDE USAGE, AND INCREASE AWARENESS OF SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVES.

Summary

PAN sprang to attention when it lobbied successfully for a ban on over twenty pesticides and chemicals used in farming. This ban came despite a conspicuous lack of evidence that they are dangerous to the farmers who work with them, let alone people who eat the food. As the BBC reported, this ban could have serious consequences:

Dire warnings were issued about the collapse in Europe’s agricultural production should the legislation go ahead – a 100% fall in carrot production in the UK alone; a devastating effect on pea production; problems for farmers growing wheat and potatoes.

In turn, said the farmers, this would lead to rising prices, just as consumers are looking down the barrel of a nasty recession and concern over world food shortages is growing.

Even Environment Minister Hilary Benn opposed this ban, but then the UK government does not fund PAN. The EU does. 

Details

PAN’s 2006/07 accounts show a total income of £1,266,717, of which:  

As with so many of these fake charities, PAN was largely being funded by the EU in order to lobby the EU.