Campaigners at Box Power CIC, a not-for-profit energy consultancy, have gained the support of almost 60 MPs and peers, over 30 hospices and 36,000 people, in their campaign to reallocate the first £100 million of annual Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) fines directly to the struggling hospice sector.

The campaign, which started from a change.org petition, is asking for the general public to ask their MP to support the motion (See the full list of supporting MPs and hospices below).

Across the country, hospices face multiple cutbacks and job losses, which are taking a devastating toll on their ability to serve the most vulnerable.

The 200 hospices operating across the UK provide essential support and end-of-life care to 300,000 of the nation’s most vulnerable children and adults.

Based in Bolton, Corin Dalby, CEO of Box Power CIC, and Tricia Dalby, COO of Box Power CIC, are hoping to raise the support of many MPs and will be handing their campaign letter in to 10 Downing Street on 10^th December, with many MPs in attendance.

Corin Dalby, says: “While start of life care is well-funded, end-of-life care is in crisis. Having engaged with the CEOs of numerous hospices, including many of the 30 hospices that have pledged their support to this campaign, it is heart-wrenching to witness the difficult choices they are being forced to make following years of economic struggles.

“As an immediate measure to provide financial respite, we are urging the Government to ringfence the first £100 million collected from FCA bank fines each year for the hospice sector.” This additional funding, allocated over the next five years of this Parliament, would help bridge the original shortfall while the Government develops a long-term, sustainable funding model. Currently, NHS contributions cover just 10% to 25% of hospices’ operating costs, with organisations such as Hospice UK calling on the government to provide a long-term, sustainable solution.

Founded in 2014 by Corin and Tricia Dalby, Box Power CIC is the UK’s first philanthropic not-for-profit energy consultancy for business. The company celebrated its 10th year in business by donating a whopping £10,000 each to local charities close to their hearts including Bolton Hospice and in total have donated over £800,000 of company profits to charities in the northwest.

Karen D Edwards OBE CMgr, CEO of Derian House Children’s Hospice, said: “Palliative and end of life care across both children’s and adult’s hospices is in dire need of sustainable funding. The Government should act now and ensure that communities have access to high quality equitable services at the times when they need them the most.  Across the country hospices are reducing their services due to a lack of funding, this campaign will help ensure that services are sustained and grown to meet the ever-increasing need. I would urge the public to get behind the campaign to allocate £150m of FCA fines directly to hospices, communities are at the heart of hospice care, and we need our communities now more than ever.”

Mark Jarman-Howe, Chief Executive of St Helena Hospice: “The Government needs to act now to stop the haemorrhaging of hospice care across the UK. By allocating the first £150 million of FCA fines to hospices the Government will save unnecessary cuts to palliative and end of life care, and buy time to put in place fair, sustainable and equitable funding for hospices to meet the rapidly growing demand for care and to take pressure of our broken NHS.”

The campaign gains further relevance as the last week alone have seen FCA fines of £40 million for Barclay’s Bank and £13 million for Macquarie Bank. To total for this year now stands at £174 million.

The petition has attracted significant cross-party political support, with MPs including Nadia Whittome, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Stuart Andrew, Matt Vickers, Phil Brickell, Ayoub Khan, Yasmin Qureshi – with almost 60 MPs now backing the campaign.

Stuart Andrew, MP for Daventry, said: “I worked in hospices for 16 years, so I am well aware of the challenges the sector faces and always happy to lend my support to the cause.”

Nadia Whittome, MP for Nottingham East, said: “Hospices do vital work in our communities, but many are struggling to meet their operating costs. Hospices require more financial support to ensure that everyone can access the care they need.”

John Milne, MP for Horsham, said: “Hospices across the country are faced with significant and growing pressure on funding. MPs need to work together on a cross-party basis for a solution to this funding crisis as our need for hospice care also increases.”

Joy Morrissey, MP for Beaconsfield, said: “Hospices provide essential care and support for people at their most vulnerable, and I am committed to ensuring they have the support they need to continue their invaluable work.”

Lord Graham Brady said he was “happy to support this vital sector.”

Nigel Farage MP commented: “The hospice sector is in desperate trouble, and every one of us will rely on it at some point. Directing FCA fines to hospices would be a decent and magnanimous gesture of apology from financial institutions.”

Members of Parliament and Peers supporting include:

Adrian Ramsay, Danny Chambers, Phil Brickell, Cat Eccles, Stuart Andrew, Dr Simon Opher, James Frith, Sir Alec Shelbrooke, Kevin Hollinrake, Brian Mathew, Steve Darling, Nigel Farage, Llinos Medi, Ayoub Khan, Sir Desmond Swayne, Rebecca Smith, Danny Kruger, Sir Christopher Chope, John Milne, Paul Kohler, Ann Davies, Yasmin Qureshi, John McDonnell, Jacob Collier, Blake Stephenson, Jack Rankin, Mims Davies, Dr Al Pinkerton, Kirith Entwistle, Ian Byrne, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Josh Newbury, Chris Coghlan, Dame Caroline Dinenage, Ian Roome, Nadia Whittome, Andrew Rosindell, Luke Taylor, Will Stone, Lord Graham Brady, Lord Monks, Baroness Pinnock of Cleckheaton, Matt Vickers, Andrew Griffith, Bradley Thomas, Martin Vickers, Joy Morrissey, Graham Stuart, Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst, Neil Duncan-Jordan, Sojan Joseph, John Whitby, Patrick Hurley, Rachael Maskell, Allison Gardner, Rachel Gilmour, Caroline Voaden, Martin Wrigley.

Hospices supporting include:

Birmingham Hospice, Hope House and Ty Gobaith, Derian House Children’s Hospice, Hospice at Home West Cumbria, Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland, Rowcroft Hospice, Kate’s Home Nursing, Bury Hospice, Prospect Hospice, Dorothy House Hospice Care, St Wilfrid’s, Hospice Chichester, North Devon Hospice, St Kentigern Hospice, Longfield Hospice, St Wilfrid’s Hospice Eastbourne, St Raphael’s Hospice, Hospice of the Good Shepherd, Weldmar Hospicecare, St Helena Hospice, Julia’s House, Children’s Hospices, Ardgowan Hospice, Weston Hospicecare, Keech Hospicecare, St Peter & St James Charitable Trust, Saint Michael’s Hospice, Herriot Hospice Homecare, Strathcarron Hospice, St Christopher’s and St David’s Hospice (North Wales), Haven House Hospice, St Andrews Hospice Grimsby, St Mary’s Hospice, Hospice of the Valleys

To find your local MP, please visit https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-an-mp-or-lord/contact-your-mp/

For MPs, peers and hospices wanting to add their names to the campaign please contact [email protected]