On 19 May 2011, the RNLI’s Annual General Meeting heard about the charity’s key activities from 2010, and the Annual Presentation of Awards  recognised the outstanding achievements of lifesavers, fundraisers and supporters

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN

In 2010 the RNLI experienced one of its most demanding years on record. Our lifeboat crews and lifeguards aided more people than ever, while our fundraisers worked tirelessly to keep the charity afloat in an uncertain economic climate.

Everyone involved in the RNLI showed tremendous commitment to the cause of saving lives at sea – the strong volunteering ethos that underpins the institution’s work was once again demonstrated to the full.

Our lifeboats launched 8,713 times from the 235 lifeboat stations around the UK and RoI, rescuing 8,313 people – our busiest ever year in terms of people rescued.

And our lifeguards operated at over 150 beaches in England and Wales, attending 16,664 incidents and aiding 18,779 people.

Our lifesavers are all willing to save lives at sea in challenging conditions, but they are not able to do so without training, equipment, support and facilities. These all come at a considerable cost, especially as kit, lifeboats and buildings have to be repaired, maintained and, occasionally, replaced.

That is why I would like to pay tribute to those who helped to meet the cost of running our sea rescue charity in 2010. Thanks to our fundraisers and supporters, our total income was £153.6M, including legacy income of £90.6M. Our running costs were £145.4M and our capital spend (primarily on new lifeboats and stations) was £37.5M.

For the future, there can be no let up in the pressure to raise the funds that will help us achieve three keys aims: to complete the build of our 25-knot all-weather lifeboat fleet, to expand the lifeguard service to all the beaches that need it, and to increase our coastal safety activities, preventing more loss of life at sea through advice and education. But we are currently focused on making significant savings in the coming years, by looking at everything we do to improve our efficiency. That way we can continue to operate at the same high standards at less cost; and make our supporters’ donations go even further than ever.

To all those who help us save lives at sea: thank you.
Admiral the Lord Boyce KG GCB OBE DL
Chairman, Royal National Lifeboat Institution

2010 FINANCIAL YEAR

INCOME

2010 was again a challenging year for the RNLI’s fundraising as the UK and RoI’s difficult economic conditions continued. Nevertheless, following the excellent work of our fundraisers, raised voluntary income at £51.5M fell just £0.3M short of 2009. Legacies, too, were down on the prior year by £3.1M at £90.6M. Investment income reduced by £1.6M after investment strategy changes into pooled funds, and net merchandising and other trading was down by £1.0M, but lifeguarding and other income was up by £0.4M. Overall, total net income was down by £5.5M on 2010.

REVENUE EXPENDITURE

Overall revenue expenditure at £145.4M was reduced by £2.3M on the prior year, in spite of a small increase of £0.4M in rescue as we continued our expansion of lifeguarding.

Expenditure was down on 2010 in the cost of generating voluntary income £0.6M, prevention £0.6M, operational maintenance £1.0M and innovation £0.4M, in part following poor weather at the start and end of the year, and also as a result of savings across the board following the launch of the RNLI’s Lean programme in May 2010.

CAPTIAL EXPENDITURE

We continued our programme of replacing and improving our lifeboats and lifeboat stations in 2010 with total capital expenditure of £37.5M, down £5.1M from last year’s high levels. Our shoreworks programme was held back by difficulties with planning consents, and the adverse weather conditions at both the beginning and end of the year. We also withdrew £11.6M from our investments during the year to fund this work. In all, we added 4 new Tamar all-weather lifeboats, 22 inshore lifeboats and completed 12 major lifeboat station projects.

Governors agree to Charter and Bye-Law changes

After 2 years of planning, the AGM saw our Governors vote for changes to our Charter and Bye-Laws by a significant majority.

RNLI Improvement and Governance Manager Anjie Rook, who has had responsibility for steering these improvements, says: ‘This is great news. The fundamental reason behind the proposal is the need to modernise our arrangements to reflect recent changes in both charity and company law.

‘The changes were largely of a “housekeeping” nature and there are no radical departures from our Objects or governance arrangements. Instead we believe that the changes will make it easier for Governors and all our supporters to understand fully – and participate in – the work of the RNLI.’

One of the major proposals was to move some governance and administrative processes from the Charter to the Bye-Laws so that they can be updated in the future without recourse to the Privy Council. This gives the RNLI better control and the ability to update these provisions in an easier way.

‘We also wanted to develop a set of governing documents that are clearer and easier to read,’ adds Anjie. ‘The Plain English Campaign were very helpful with their review of the new Bye-Laws and we have created something that lawyers and the person on the street can understand and work with.’

While approval was given by the Governors, the modernisation can't take place until the Privy Council has approved the developments and this is likely to be in the Autumn. At that point, everyone will be given access to the new Royal Charter and Bye-Laws, either via our website or by paper copies on request.