Blue Light Whistle Blowers (BLWBs) a national charity covering England and Wales has been successfully registered with the Charity Commission following a protracted registration process that spans two years. The new charity, registration number 1208937, is based in the Harrogate District and is dedicated to providing an anonymous way to whistle blow on wrongdoing by those employed in the fire, police or ambulance services.
The Charitable Objectives require the charity to work in partnership with accountable blue light officers including the National Police Chiefs’ Council, Police and Crime Commissioners, elected Mayors, the independent Office for Police Conduct, Care Quality Commission and HMICFRS across the services, to promote an understanding and appreciation of the ethical standards of conduct and compliance with the law amongst those accountable officers.
A key part of BLWB is the provision of advice and assistance through an independent and anonymous whistleblowing system and associated support. It is aimed at employees, or officers, or former employees or officers, who work or have worked in Blue Light Services who, face or have been faced with unethical standards of conduct in the context of the relative law and ethical guidelines, policies or codes of practice, who seek or have sought unsuccessfully to raise their concerns.
This includes compiling and distributing educational material for those with whistle-blowing concerns and the public, about unethical standards of conduct and the impact of unethical conduct within ‘Blue Light’ services to facilitate the reporting of wrongdoing within those services. The full list of Charitable Objectives can be found here: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search/-/charity-details/5232102/governing-document
The charity has four trustees, Kathy Cox, Adele Winkley, Guy Phoenix and Chair Philip Allott. The Charity is now developing its business plan and putting in place fundraising, so that it can go operational on the 31st January 2025. The plan includes securing an Office in the Harrogate area and recruiting and training staff and volunteer members.