Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

ICP appoints three new members

ICP appoints three new members
Amanda Bridgewater
Barbara Evripidou

The alcohol industry’s Independent Complaints Panel (ICP) is delighted to announce the appointment of three new members, further strengthening and enhancing the Panel’s expertise and diversity.

Following a rigorous recruitment process which saw an unprecedented amount of applications received, Evans Omondi, Amanda Bridgewater, and Hayden Taylor have been appointed as new Panel members and will sit on their first Panel meeting on 9 May.


The Panel is chaired by Rachel Childs and new members are carefully recruited in order to represent a cross section of society with a balance of experience and expertise in key areas such as licensing, public health, children’s services and law.

The ICP is independent from the Portman Group and considers complaints brought forward on the naming, packaging, promotion and sponsorship of alcoholic drinks based on the Portman Group’s Codes of Practice. The Panel meet several times a year to consider these complaints and decide whether they are upheld or not upheld based on evidence.

To maintain the diversity of the Panel applications were particularly encouraged during this recruitment process from those with professional experience working with young people.

Evans OmondiEvans Omondi

Evans Omondi is a Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) qualified youth worker with over 15 years’ experience working with young people. He currently manages a youth programme in central London which specialises in working with young people who have experienced youth violence, and has previous experience working in multiple youth centres and mentoring young people with learning difficulties.

Amanda Bridgewater has over 20 years’ experience in the education sector, working in various senior leadership roles in the secondary sector, most recently as Interim Principal of a large state-school in Bristol. She has held education consultancy roles across schools in both the urban and rural context as well as sitting at board level in the primary sector. She has also worked with vulnerable young people in the charity sector as a Trustee and volunteer for a number of UK, European and international charities.

Hayden TaylorHayden Taylor

Hayden Taylor is a young social entrepreneur and company director who founded social enterprise Unloc, a leading non-profit organisation which helps schools and colleges to empower young people across the UK with the leadership skills and platforms to drive change. Hayden has founded a number of successful campaigns focused on supporting young people to become policy influencers, innovators and entrepreneurs in the UK and Europe, and is a global youth ambassador for One Young World.

“I’m thrilled to welcome our new members to the Panel and I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate them on their appointment, following what was a very competitive recruitment process with an exceptionally high standard of applicants," said ICP Chair Rachel Childs. "All three have demonstrated an impressive breadth of experience and understanding of young people which will be invaluable when applying the Codes of Practice. I very much look forward to working with them.”

More for you

Confex

Confex expands with addition of new members

Leading buying group Confex has added three new members, further strengthening its buying power and geographical reach.

As reported today (8), Ahmed Foods, A C Georgiades and Regency Service and Solutions have joined Confex. Their combined turnover adds an impressive £56.2 million to Confex's turnover, which further bolsters its strength and buying power as a group.

Keep ReadingShow less
Budget to burden Scottish c-stores with 'tens of millions they cannot afford'

iStock image

Budget to burden Scottish c-stores with 'tens of millions they cannot afford'

Eye watering increases to employer NI contributions in this year’s UK Budget, alongside a 77p increase to the National Living Wage (NLW), could add around £2,400 to the cost of employing a full-time member of staff, Scottish Grocers Federation stated today (8).

Convenience staff across Scotland worked almost 500 million hours last year. Over 55,000 people are employed across the Scottish convenience sector, many of whom fall within the scope of the increase to National Insurance Contributions (NIC) and the NLW rise, meaning that together the changes could cost retailers tens of millions in additional outgoings. Despite the planned uplift in Employment Allowance relief from £5,000 to £10,500.

Keep ReadingShow less
New report outlines path for food sector to achieve emission reduction

(Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

New report outlines path for food sector to achieve emission reduction

The Institute for Grocery Distribution (IGD) has released the report, "A Net Zero Transition Plan for the UK Food System", providing a framework for the food sector to achieve 70 per cent emissions reductions in agriculture and to fully decarbonize heat, electricity and transport.

Commissioned by IGD and developed by consultants EY and WRAP, the first of its kind report provides an independent, evidence-based view for how the UK food system in its entirety, can reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions in line with a 1.5degree SBTi outcome and to meet the UK’s legally binding national target.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ministers urged to tax unhealthy foods

iStock image

Ministers urged to tax unhealthy foods

Ministers are getting under pressure to impose taxes on packaged foods containing high content of salt and/or sugar.

In a plea addressed to the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the health secretary, Wes Streeting, representing 35 health groups, it is highlighted that taxing unhealthy foods such as cakes, sweets, biscuits, crisps and savoury snacks would generate billions of pounds for the Treasury and cut the number of people becoming ill as a result of a bad diet.

Keep ReadingShow less
The-Fed-logo-RGB-Red-Trans-background.png
The Fed mourns ex-President Margaret Adams, retail pioneer
The Fed mourns ex-President Margaret Adams, retail pioneer

The Fed puts thousands of pounds back in members’ pockets

Tireless work by the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) Contact Centre has seen almost a quarter of a million pounds recovered from news wholesalers in 2024.

The latest figures show that £187,130 has been recovered in missing credits, missing vouchers and recharges, as well as money saved through waived deposits for news wholesale accounts.

A further £40,338 was recovered in restitution for instances of late supply or missing supply having an impact on home news deliverers, taking the overall total paid back to members this year to date to £227,468.

“Once again our Contact Centre has delivered for members," said The Fed’s National President, Mo Razzaq. "This is testament to the tireless work of the team, ensuring Fed members are not left out of pocket when things go wrong.

“The amount of money the team has recovered in 2024 is further proof that, for independent retailers, it really does pay to be a member of the Federation.”

Keep ReadingShow less