Robert Longley-Cook, Chief Executive of Hft (formerly Home Farm Trust), a national charity providing support to people with learning disabilities, has been appointed to the Waste & Resources Action Programme’s (WRAP’s) Board of Trustees.
In his current role, Longley-Cook leads the delivery of personalised support services for 2,500 adults with learning disabilities for the national charity, which has a turnover of £70 million.
Formerly, he was Executive Director of Fundraising, Marketing, Communications and Volunteering at the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS), before which he had a 26-year career at BP, playing a key role in the implementation of the oil company’s strategy on ‘Plastics and Waste’ for the European Plastics Association.
‘Passion and energy’ for a world where resources are used sustainably
Longley-Cook commented: “I am delighted to join WRAP, a charity I consider to be vital in addressing the resource challenges of today and the future.
“I look forward to drawing on my experience and knowledge from both the third and private sectors and combining them with the passion and energy I have to help meet WRAP’s vision of a world where resources are used sustainably.”
‘A wealth of knowhow, passion, and evidence of success’
Speaking on the appointment, Dr Liz Goodwin CEO at WRAP, said: “WRAP’s move to charitable status is important because it allows us to be more agile, able to explore new opportunities, and therefore better able to deliver on the priority resource areas.
“To do this requires that we have the right experience and skills in place, and in Robert, we have somebody who brings to WRAP a wealth of knowhow, passion, and evidence of success in both a charity and corporate environment.”
Julie Hill, Chair of WRAP’s Board of Trustees, said: “The board is delighted to be welcoming Robert to the team, and looks forward to drawing on his extraordinary mix of skills and experience to help to shape WRAP’s forward strategy.”
Charitable standing
In December 2014, WRAP announced its official standing as a registered charity.
The government-funded body first indicated its intention to become a charity in February of that year (when the Scottish branch of WRAP, Zero Waste Scotland, also announced it was breaking away from the main WRAP body to become a separate company), following increasing cuts from central government.
Indeed, it was revealed that for the seven years running to 2015/16, central government will have reduced WRAP’s funding by 72 per cent (£40.5 million) due to ‘pressure on public finances’. As such, WRAP decided to pursue a bid for charitable status, to ‘access to a new source of funding’.
Find out more about WRAP’s decision to become a charity.
Get our weekly digest
resource.co article ai
How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.