How We Work
The Benevolent Fund Trustees are ultimately responsible for all the decisions we take – they have the final say on grants and loans. They are also accountable for the money we spend and how we spend it – and for the way we govern the Fund.
Steve Newbury, our general manager and committee secretary, takes care of the day-to-day running of the Fund, along with Deb Ferris, Della Poolton and Nicki Biddlestone.
Our operations committee meet every six weeks and it’s their job to consider grant and loan applications and then recommend them to the Trustees for approval.
Meeting dates for the remainder of 2024
Friday 25 October 2024
Friday 6 December 2024
Meeting dates for 2025
Friday 10 January 2025
Friday 14 March 2025
Friday 16 May 2025 – including our AGM @ 11.00 am at Guardian’s House
Friday 27 June 2025
Friday 25 July 2025
Friday 12 September 2025
Friday 31 October 2025
Friday 12 December 2025
Meeting dates for 2026
Friday 9 January 2026
Friday 13 March 2026
Friday 24 April 2026 AGM @ 11.00 am Guardians House
Friday 5 June 2026
Friday 24 July 2026
Friday 11 September 2026
The committee has a broad base of members – the members with a vote are there representing a group or association linked with West Midlands Police. The majority are from the Police Federation, but there are others from National Association of Retired Police Officers, Association of Chief Police Officers, and Superintendent’s Association.
We also have non-voting members who are closely connected with the Force such as employees from the Force Personnel Department and the Chaplaincy.
If you are interested in becoming involved with our charity’s Operations Committee we would love to hear from you.
So how do we make decisions?
Cases are presented to us anonymously and then voted on by the Operations Committee. This decision is then ratified by the Trustees who meet around 10 times a year.
If the case is deemed an emergency, then two trustees can sign off an application and the committee secretary can authorise spending up to £500.
How are we governed?
We file audited accounts at the end of every financial year and tax returns. The accounts are approved at the AGM which members are invited to and where they can ask questions. And copies of these documents are available to any member.
Our Trustees and Operations Committee do not receive any remuneration or honoraria but they can claim travel expenses. Serving officers who are Trustees or members of the Operations Committee are allowed to attend meetings during duty time.
GDPR
We are fully committed to compliance with data protection legislation, including the general data protection regulation. We will follow procedures that aim to ensure that all employees, contractors, agents, consultants, partners or anyone else who has access to any personal data held by or on behalf of the Benevolent Fund are fully aware of and abide by their duties and responsibilities under the legislation.
How we use your data
General
West Midlands Police Benevolent Fund (and trusted partners acting on our behalf) uses your personal data:
– to provide goods and services to you;
– to make a tailored website available to you;
– to verify your identity;
– with your agreement, to contact you electronically or by post about promotional offers and products and services which we think may interest you;
Promotional communications
The Benevolent Fund aims to update you about products & services which are of interest and relevance to you as an individual.
You have the right to opt out of receiving promotional communications at any time, by either calling us on 0121 752 4919 or emailing us at info@wmpben.co.uk
Sharing data with third parties
The Fund will seek a member’s explicit permission before passing on any of their data such as email address, telephone number or address to a partner organisation.
How long do we keep your data?
We will not retain your data for longer than necessary for the purposes set out in this Policy.
What personal data do we collect?
- your name, age/date of birth and gender;
- Payroll, collar or pension number
- your contact details: postal address, telephone numbers (including mobile numbers) and e-mail address;
- your correspondence and communications with us
Sharing your story
Some of the people who have benefited from the work of West Midlands Police Benevolent Fund choose to share their experiences to help further our work. We will only share information if we have obtained the fully informed consent of the individual involved, or their parent or guardian if they are under the age of 18. This information may be made public by us at events, in material promoting our campaigning and fundraising work, or in documents such as our annual report.
Your rights
You have the following rights:
– the right to ask for a copy of personal data that we hold about you (the right of access);
– the right (in certain circumstances) to request that we delete personal data held on you; where we no longer have any legal reason to retain it (the right of erasure or to be forgotten);
– the right to ask us to update and correct any out-of-date or incorrect personal data that we hold about you (the right of rectification);
– the right to opt out of any marketing communications that we may send you and to object to us using / holding your personal data if we have no legitimate reasons to do so (the right to object);
– the right (in certain circumstances) to ask us to supply you with some of the personal data we hold about you in a structured machine-readable format and/or to provide a copy of the data in such a format to another organisation (the right to data portability).
Donors
GDPR policy notice
At West Midlands Police Benevolent Fund, we are committed to maintaining the privacy of our donors, supporters, volunteers and staff.
Who are we?
West Midlands Police Benevolent Fund, a charity registered in England and Wales (1186628)
What information do we collect, and how is it used?
Supporters
If you support West Midlands Police Benevolent Fund, this may be by volunteering, registering to fundraise, signing up for events, or making a donation; we usually collect the following data from you (if relevant):
- Your name
- Your contact details
- Your date of birth
We collect information in the following ways:
When you give it to us directly. This may be provided over the phone, face to face, in writing, via email and through our website.
When you give it to us indirectly. Information you provide to independent event organisers and fundraising site (e.g Just Giving) may be shared with us if you consented and you have indicated that you wish to support West Midlands Police Benevolent Fund. You should check their Privacy Policy when you provide your information to understand fully how they will process your data.
How is my data used?
We mainly use your information to:
- Provide you with the information, services and/or products you asked for
- Administer your donation or support your fundraising.
- Keep a record of your relationship with us
- Manage your marketing preferences
- Understand how we can improve our services, products or information
- To let you know what your support has helped us to achieve and to ask for financial and non- financial support.
