Option 1 — YWT Charity-Led
YWT holds the DEFRA contract directly as the SLE. No new organisation is created.
How it works
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust — as it currently exists — would itself be the () that signs the agreement with and manages the project. No new organisation would be created. is already a and , regulated by the and , operating since 1946 with well-established governance, financial, and operational systems.
The of 18 landowners governs by consent within YWT's existing governance framework. Even under this option, the SLE is bound to consult and to take decisions with the Consortium's consent.
Strongest if you value:
Speed and simplicity. Maximum charitable grant access. Gift Aid and tax exemptions. Established credibility with DEFRA and funders. Lowest admin burden. Minimal landowner obligations. Alignment with environmental mission.
DEFRA’s perspective
DEFRA assesses SLE applications against best quality and best value. Option 1 presents the strongest case on both. On quality: YWT has direct existing relationships with DEFRA, a track record of managing large-scale ecological programmes at landscape scale, and established monitoring and reporting systems that would require independent replication under any alternative structure. On value: Option 1 absorbs the scheme’s administrative infrastructure into YWT’s existing overhead — office, IT, HR, finance, audit, insurance — removing approximately £100,000–£120,000 per year in costs that a standalone entity (CIC or otherwise) would carry as new overhead. DEFRA can see this in the numbers. It should be stated plainly in the application.
What this means for your holding
Under Option 1, YWT holds the DEFRA contract directly. Your land stays yours. Your delivery plan is agreed with you, not imposed. The practical difference for your holding is that YWT — an organisation with 80 years of conservation delivery — carries the contractual obligations, and you benefit from their existing infrastructure, grant access, and credibility with DEFRA.