TEAM - PRE EVENT INFORMATION

Encyclopedia Boroland

Contents

Section 1 - Boroland - Map

Section 2 - Background

Section 3 - Political

Section 4 - Economic

Section 5 - Social

Section 6 - Environmental

Section 7 - Health and Wellbeing

Section 8 - Voluntary Sector

Section 1 - Boroland - Map

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Section 2 - Background

The country of Boroland, is a former British Overseas Territory that retains much of its historical traditions and customs from that era. It has the near appearance of an island, being separated from the neighbouring countries of Wytzil, Honilee and Martina by two major rivers. Both these rivers originate in Eastern Honilee with the River Limingree forming the border north and the River Esterbalt to the south. These rivers effectively stopped 'humanisation' from the west; it wasn't until 627 that missionaries arrived on the east coast (led by Pastor Nicolas Irvine). Over the next century communities were established across the whole country leading to the formation of 24 'ceremonial' counties that still exist to this day.

Despite gaining its independence in 1969, Boroland remains heavily influenced by the United Kingdom in its laws, statutes and government functions (albeit with slight differences in certain areas, such as local taxation). The currency in use is the Boroland Pound (also referred to as BP, B£ or even simply as £), which is fixed at parity with the British Pounds Sterling.

In 2016, UNESCO awarded Boroland biosphere reserve status.

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Section 3 - Political

Central Government

The traditional home of the central government is located within Irvine.  However, a policy of 'Levelling Up' has meant that many of the departments have been 'rusticated' to other counties across the country.

The parliament consists of two chambers - the Lower Chamber and the Upper Chamber. Representatives appointed to both chambers are by election, with each term lasting exactly 4 years. Elections are deconflicted from local government elections by two years.

At the last elections, held in May 2020, the political position was as follows:

• Conservative: 84
• Labour: 46
• Liberal Democrats: 4
• Green: 1
• Boroland Nationalist Party: 1
• Independent: 2

The Upper Chamber has one representative from each County - those standing for election must do so on an independent basis and have no affiliation to a Lower Chamber political party. Their powers are limited to that of scrutiny - they can not reject legislation from the Lower Chamber outright but they can send it back down with suggested amendments. Any such legislation sent back to the Lower Chamber can only be presented a maximum of six times after which it is considered 'timed out' and must be pushed back into the following years work plan for resubmission.

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Local Government

The authorities on Boroland are classed as sui generis single-tier authorities and, with the exception of those towns that voted, by referendum, to retain the powers and functions of a town council, are responsible for the provision of all local government services within their region.

The single-tier authorities have the powers and functions that are elsewhere separately administered by councils of non-metropolitan counties, non-metropolitan districts and town/parish councils within them and are responsible for housing, waste management, waste collection, council and local tax collection, education, highways, fire, libraries, leisure and recreation, social services, transport, planning, passenger transport, consumer protection, licensing, cemeteries and crematoria.

Legislation allows each authority to impose additional taxes including ad hoc visitor taxes, toll road taxes and regional added value taxes (RAVT). RAVT, if charged, is in addition to VAT and is applied to all services and products regardless of VAT categories. Income raised from RAVT is retained by the relevant authority. RAVT is currently at 0% across the country and has been since its reduction to that level in 1992.

Benefit payments are managed centrally by the countries Department for Works and Pensions.

Local elections were held on the 1st May this year and resulted in what has been described as a 'political revolution'. The results caused a seismic shift in the balance of power with independent, single issue, parties gaining control across the country.

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Town Councils

The term "town council" is the specific name given to a civil parish council which has declared itself by resolution to be a town council. There is at least one town council in each county on Boroland - each Town Council has 14 elected members. The chairman of each of these town councils is entitled to be styled as "town mayor". Town council elections were held on the 1st May, and as tradition had dictated, all the councillors must 'stand' as Independents (on the historical context that local issues trump political issues). However, due to a number of reasons, only 4 individuals (3 of which have never served a term before) stood and all were 'elected' unopposed. Work is ongoing, as a matter of urgency, to identify the required co-optees for each region. The Town Councils have been given until the 16th May to fill the vacancies before the relevant Unitary councils have stated they will allocate, from within their own resources, individuals to fill these vacant positions.

The town councils receive funding by levying a precept upon the council tax paid by the residents of the town covered by the council. Although there is no limit to the amount that can be raised, the money can only be raised for a limited number of purposes. There is only one service stipulated by statute which they have a duty to fulfil, which is the provision of allotments.

Within Boroland, the town councils also exercise powers to provide, maintain and manage:

• Buildings for community use.
• Recreational parks, playing fields and swimming baths.
• Litter bins (inc. dog waste bins).
• Public toilets.
• Public clocks.
• Maintenance of rights of way.
• Maintenance of war memorials.
• Street lighting.
• Roadside verges.

The towns that have retained their (Tier 3) Councils are:

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Police and Crime Commissioner

Each region has an elected Police and Crime Commissioner.

The core functions of a PCC is to secure the maintenance of an efficient and effective police force within their area, and to hold the chief constable to account for the delivery of the police and crime plan. That plan must include his or her objectives for policing, what resources will be provided to the chief constable and how performance will be measured. Both the PCC and the chief constable must have regard to the police and crime plan in the exercise of their duties. The PCC is required to produce an annual report to the public on progress in policing.

Police and crime commissioners are charged with holding the police fund (from which all policing of the area is financed).

The bulk of funding for the police fund comes from the Boroland Home Office in the form of an annual grant (calculated on a proportionate basis to take into account the differences between the various forces, which vary significantly in terms of population, geographical size, crime levels and trends), though commissioners will also set a precept on the council tax to raise additional funds. If a PCC wishes to increase the precept by an amount deemed to be excessive then it requires a referendum. It is the PCC's responsibility to set the budget for the force area, which includes allocating enough money from the overall policing budget to ensure that he or she can discharge his or her own functions effectively.

Police and crime commissioners are also responsible for the appointment, suspension and dismissal of the Chief Constable, although the Policing Protocol Order states that the PCC "must not fetter the operational independence of the police force and the Chief Constable who leads it". PCCs are able to appoint a Deputy PCC.

Candidates must be 18 or over and registered to vote within the police area on the date of nomination. Members of the Upper Chamber are not barred from standing. Members of the Lower Chamber are not barred from standing but, if they win, they must resign before they can take up a PCC appointment. Candidates must secure the signatures of 100 people registered to vote within the force area in which they wish to stand and must pay a deposit of £5,000. A person with an anonymous entry in the register of electors cannot nominate a candidate for election. The appointed Deputy PCC is held to similar criteria as the PCC.

Elections were held on the 1st May. Due to the coincident local government elections the count was delayed until Sunday 4th May. The results are expected to be announced on Monday 5th May.

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Fire Authority

Each county has a Fire Authority, a statutory body made up of a committee of local councillors which oversees the policy and service delivery of a fire and rescue service. At present there are no combined fire authorities within Boroland.

In simple terms a local fire authority is a supervisory body which ensures that a local fire service performs efficiently and in the best interest of the public and community it serves. It means therefore that the fire service is answerable for its actions and performance to the general public. One of its main functions is to collect funding from each local council via a precept - a portion of council tax allocated to the fire service. By far the largest source of funding for the service is via a central government grant.

The fire and rescue authorities must make provision for the purpose of promoting fire safety in its area and this must include the provision of information, publicity and encouragement in respect of the steps to be taken to prevent fires and death or injury by fire not only by the enforcement of specific fire safety legislation, but also by a proactive strategy targeted at all sections of the community.

The climate has changed over the past decade with most areas experiencing a marked rise in extreme and unpredictable weather conditions. Severe storms, widespread flooding, significant snow fall and major temperature fluctuations have devastating impacts on peoples’ lives and livelihoods. Prolonged dry spells are welcomed by many, but they can put Boroland’s vast grass and heath moorland at much greater risk of fire. Immediately following the local elections, and with little or no warning, the government released a new policy document on how to deal with extreme weather conditions, placing a statutory requirement upon the regional FRS.

The positions of Chair of the Fire Authority, across the country, are technically vacant as the previous incumbents all lost their seats at the 1st May elections. Appointments are expected to be announced week commencing 5th May.

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Housing Associations

In Boroland, housing associations are private, non-profit making organisations that provide low-cost social housing for people in need of a home. Any budget surplus is used to maintain existing housing and to help finance new homes and it cannot be used for personal benefit of directors or shareholders. Although independent, they are regulated by a stand-alone non departmental public body of central government known as The Boroland Regulator of Social Housing.

Each region has a maximum of ten Housing Associations, all of which are a similar size. They are Boroland's major providers of new housing for rent, while many also run shared ownership schemes to help those who cannot afford to buy a home outright, using the guidelines outlined in the New Model for Shared Ownership.

Housing associations' day-to-day activities are funded by rent and service charges payments made by, or on behalf of, those living in its properties.

Housing associations borrow money to pay for new homes and improvements. After the late-2000s financial crisis institutions such as banks and building societies ceased to offer long-term loans. To counter this shortfall of funding, central government offers support through affordable loans via Homes Boroland.

A landlord’s obligations are set out in several pieces of legislation. In summary, a landlord shall:

• Keep in repair the structure and exterior of the dwelling, including drains, gutters and external pipes;
• Keep in repair and proper working order the installations in the dwelling for the supply of water, gas, and electricity, and for sanitation (including basins, sinks, baths and sanitary conveniences, but not other fixtures, fittings and appliances for making use of the supply of water, gas or electricity), and keep in repair and proper working order the installation in the dwelling for space heating and heating water.

If a landlord refuses to repair a rented property, the tenant can take action to require them to carry out necessary works and claim compensation.

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Section 4 - Economic

Boroland has a broad mix of manufacturing and a service-based economy. Many large companies have relocated their call centres to Boroland to capitalize on the cheaper labour force. Tourism remains a major source of employment and income to Boroland. In the early 2000s the county annually received in excess of a one million foreign tourists.

There are deep water ports, suitable for cruise liners and commercial cargo ships, in Ganton and Luffness. There are small domestic ports capable of hosting vehicle ferries up to 60,000 gross tonnes in all counties with a sea border. There is a regular ferry service connecting these ports.

There are 5 international airports in Irvine, Caldy, Rosehearty, Castlerock and Tarbat. Each county has a smaller domestic airport capable of up to 20 flights per day. Under Boroland law flights may not depart or arrive between 9pm and 7am.

The road network is considered to be above the average in world terms. All the regions are connected to each other by road, much of it dual carriageway and is generally in a good state of repair. Some of the smaller villages, particularly in the western regions, may still have 'cinder' roads connecting them to the wider national network.

Again, the rail network is similarly established, with dual track covering the majority of the country. The rail network is maintained under a private finance initiative by Network Boro. The rolling stock, and service delivery, remains under centralised control. The latest reliability figures show 94.2% trains arrive and/or depart with 5mins of the planned schedule. Stations in the less populated areas are "by request" stops. In recent months plans have been leaked for an extensive high speed rail network to be created.

The capital city is Brownsville in the county of Irvine.

The estimated population, as at 1 July 2021, is estimated at 10.5 million spread, more or less evenly, across the 24 region. 78% of the population are aged 65 or under. At the same time unemployment was estimated at 5.4%.

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Section 5 - Social

Newspapers

The country is served by four major newspapers:

• The Daily Meteor - a tabloid style newspaper that concentrates mainly on showbusiness, lifestyle tips and gossip! The news stories it carries tend to have a light hearted opinion to them. Has been known to support the occasional conspiracy theory. Politically, it doesn't really have a defined stance but prefers to concentrate on the populist view rather than a political one.
• The Golden Star - formally a broadsheet of some considerable standing, the paper converted to tabloid size a decade ago. Generally has a left-of-centre viewpoint on most issues.
• The Daily Tribune - has maintained its broadsheet format since its inception post World War 2. Sits very much in the right-of-centre in both its editorials and its news reporting.
• The Boroland Chronicle - started life as a family run newspaper but went public 5 years ago. Concentrates mainly on local news, with any major national and international being sourced (and credited) via global news agencies such as Reuters and Associated Press. Prides itself in holding both the public and private sectors "to account". 

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Television and Radio

UK television is provided via satellite or cable. There is a limited free-to-air service. Local television (Look Boroland) provides local news in support of national broadcasting and has a small ongoing requirement to produce local interest documentaries. The main station is located in Irvine with smaller regional studios in all the counties.

The full AM/FM radio spectrum is delivered to the island via a network of transmission masts. The local radio station, Boro FM, transmits on 102.9FM from 6am to midnight seven days a week.

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Sport

Boroland was one of the first nations in the world to adopt, and actively encourage participation in sport regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation.

Football is the most popular sport in Boroland, with over 313,000 players in more than 1600 clubs in the men’s leagues and over 70,000 across 400 clubs actively playing in the women’s leagues.

The Boroland national men’s football team is among the higher-rated national football teams in the region, although they have yet to manage qualification for the World Cup. The women’s team played it's first competitive game last year with a 4-4 draw against Honilee. The Boroland Women’s Football Association was established in 2021 with the sole aim of achieving World Cup qualification by 2050.

The Premier Division, the country's top professional league, was established in 1992 and is the most widely known sport in the country, where football teams such as Real Durness, AFC Panmure and the Warkworth Wanderers are the main contenders. Other important clubs are FC Tarbat and Sporting Club Ganton (SCG). These five clubs are the only ones to have become champions of the Premier Division. Many of the countries top players have been poached by larger, better sponsored, teams from across Europe and Asia. Not unsurprisingly, many of the highest rated women’s teams are connected to these top clubs taking advantage of the facilities available to them.

Boroland has a large number of top football stadia. There are three UEFA 5 star stadia in Boroland along with many other featuring state of the art facilities which are distributed across the country.

Not unsurprisingly, cricket is a popular sport in Boroland. The Boroland Cricket Federation was formed in 1923. The premier division is called the Top Class, in which ten teams compete for the national championships.

The Boroland national cricket team qualified for the cricket World Cup on four occasions; 1996, 2003, 2007 and 2011. The country has been considered one of the stronger "minnow" nations for some time. Although the sport is sustained by a small player base, some have won professional contracts in England.

Rugby union is also played in the Boroland. The first rugby club was BRFC, established on September 15, 1879. The Boroland Rugby Federation was founded on September 7, 1920 but ceased to exist in 1923 due to a lack of clubs. They reorganized on October 1, 1932, six months after the Boroland national rugby union team played their first match against Honilee. The Boroland Rugby Federation has grown from 8,000 registered players in 2007 to 15,000 players in 2019. It is a fledgling women’s sport with limited participation at the present time.

Two sports where women have been far more dominant than their male colleagues, particularly in the international arena, is hockey and netball. The Boroland Braves regularly qualify for both Regional and World field hockey championships, progressing as far as the quarter finals in the World Championship of 2018. The national netball team have been 4-nations champions for the past six years and remain undefeated for the last 4 of those.

Golf has become a highly popular sport in recent years in Boroland with more than 180 courses across the country and one of the few sports where men and women are able to compete against each other in professional tournaments.

Golf is mostly popular among the older demographic, with more members over the age of 24 than any other sport in Boroland.
In pro golf, Benny Stilles has dominated the Boroland scene for many years with regular appearances on both the European and Asian Tours. On the Ladies European Tour, Leone Hoin, is the most successful Boroland player.

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Section 6 - Environmental

Climate Change

A climate emergency declaration or declaring a climate emergency is an action taken by governments and scientists to acknowledge humanity is in a climate emergency. The first such declaration was made by a local government in December 2016. Since then over 1,900 local governments in 34 countries have made climate emergency declarations (as of June 2021). Populations covered by jurisdictions that have declared a climate emergency amount to over 1 billion citizens.

As yet no councils have declared a climate emergency in Boroland.

According to Wikipedia, once a government makes a declaration, the next step for the declaring government is to set priorities to mitigate climate change, prior to ultimately entering a state of emergency or equivalent. In declaring a climate emergency, a government admits that climate change (or global warming) exists and that the measures taken up to this point are not enough to limit the changes brought by it. The decision stresses the need for the government and administration to devise measures that try and stop human-caused global warming.

The declarations can be made on different levels, for example, at a national or local government level, and they can differ in depth and detail in their guidelines. The term climate emergency does not only describe formal decisions, but also includes actions to avert climate breakdown. This is supposed to justify and focus the governing body towards climate action. The specific term "emergency" is used to assign priority to the topic, and to generate a mindset of urgency.

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Renewable Energy

Renewable energy comes from continuously available sources that do not rely on exhaustible, polluting fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. The main sources of renewable energy on Boroland are:

• Wind - both on and offshore
• Sunlight - solar photovoltaic and thermal
• Water - conventional hydro, and the developing technologies of tidal stream and wave
• Biomass - including wood chip and energy crops

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) is the greenhouse gas reporting scheme which has replaced the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC). The Regulations are designed to increase awareness of energy costs within organisations, provide them with data to inform adoption of energy efficiency measures and to help them to reduce their impact on climate change. They also seek to provide greater transparency for stakeholders.

At present, Boroland levies implicit taxes on carbon, for instance through duties on petrol and diesel, and some heavy industries pay an effective price on carbon. But there are no taxes for consumers that are explicitly geared to the carbon emissions created by the goods and services that they buy.

Considerable discussion has been had recently regarding whether the historical legislation that allows individual councils to impose additional taxes includes the introduction of a so-called "Carbon Tax" on energy suppliers, flying activities, food production, imports and other high-carbon goods and services. The latest judicial advice considers a "Carbon Tax" being allowable but only if the local authority has acknowledged the problem by formally declaring a climate emergency. The Zero Carbon Campaign has estimated that a carbon tax could raise £40 per head of population by 2030.

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Section 7 - Health and Wellbeing

Healthcare

A National Health Service was adopted in Boroland in 1950, shortly after the service was created in the United Kingdom and has broadly followed its development since. Its core principles have remained the same – it meets the needs of everyone, free at the point of delivery, and be based on clinical need not ability to pay.

Almost 99% of funding comes through general taxation and National Insurance contributions with the remaining funds derived from patient charges for some elective services. This is in the form of block contract agreements with the individual regional Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) who are responsible for commissioning hospital services from the regions various Hospital Trusts, based on the local population, and ensuring that they are provided. The most recent budget roughly equates to a contribution of £1500 per person, over the age of 16, in Boroland

There has been a steady worsening in many of the individual Trusts financial positions whereby, in some cases, overspending has effectively been funded from reserve accounts leaving them in a precarious state and, potentially, unable to deal with an unforeseen pandemic. To reverse this situation, the government have recently passed a law preventing any further transfer of funds from reserve accounts meaning that any in-year shortfalls must be resolved through efficiency measures alone.

Funding has allowed each region to be set up to an identical standard, thus preventing calls of ‘postcode lottery’ or the need for ‘levelling up’. Whilst, in theory, each region is totally self-sufficient in terms of primary and secondary care there are ad-hoc arrangements available that sees patients transferred across CCG boundaries for specialist treatment.
Each region has three BNHS Foundation Trusts. For ease of identification each Trust has a generic ‘nickname’ that indicates its size and capability:

• The Nightingale Trusts – named after the creator of the first scientifically based nursing school and the first woman to be inducted into the Order of Merit.
  • Provides full range of acute clinical services and is the regional specialist for oncology, radiotherapy, and paediatrics.
  • 600 beds.
  • 4423 staff.
  • 6 Executive Directors, 7 Non-Executive Directors and 20 Governors.
  • Receives B£286.045M in CCG commissioning per annum.

• The Mahoney Trusts – named after the first African American woman to graduate nursing school in the US and get a job as a professional nurse.
  • Provides full range of general acute services.
  • 250 beds.
  • 1843 staff.
  • 6 Executive Directors, 6 Non-Executive Directors and 17 Governors.
  • Receives B£119.185M in CCG commissioning per annum.

• The Dix Trusts – named after the nurse who revolutionized the way mental health patients were treated and was a pioneer in the field of psychiatric nursing.
  • Provides full range of general acute services.
  • 220 beds.
  • 1622 staff.
  • 6 Executive Directors, 6 Non-Executive Directors and 17 Governors.
  • Receives B£104.883M in CCG commissioning per annum.

Whilst the regional Ambulance Trust (RegAT) manages its own budget, following a previous rationalisation of services it now shares Governors with the Nightingale Trust. The Governors hold the RegAT to account in terms of governance, performance reporting and safety compliance.

As part of a national health drive, all hospital Trust real estate (including car parks) are designated no smoking areas. Breach of this regulation can lead to fines up to B£1000.

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Section 8 - Voluntary Sector

Due to some advantageous tax breaks, Boroland is host to a large number of voluntary organisations. Many of these organisations are small in size and tend to limit their operations to the region they are located, reinforcing the “Local for the Locals” mantra. There are, however, four country wide organisations:

• Boroland Croix Rouge – based in Castlerock, the Boroland Croix Rouge has been a lifeline for people for nearly 200 years, supporting individuals and communities to withstand, respond to and recover from crisis. Their focus is in supporting crisis within the borders of Boroland (including the territorial waters out to 24 miles from the coastline).
• On Land and At Sea – based in Ganton, On Land and At Sea (OLAAS) is the charity that saves lives wherever they are needed. With regional hubs in every district across the country, OLAAS save lives at sea, on the waterways, in the hills and across the lowlands. Additional tasks include assisting the Police and emergency services in searching for vulnerable missing persons and attending, on request, at multi-casualty events.
• Boroland Animal Welfare – based in Irvine, Boroland Animal Welfare (BAW) care for all creatures no matter their size or species. They have 5 additional regional hubs across Boroland (in Arklow, Hopeman, Newbiggin, Strandhill and Warkworth) – all of these have facilities to home domestic pets. The centre at Highcrest (Hopeman) caters for equines whilst the centre at Aldlake (Arklow) has facilities for creatures such as snakes, lizards and insects and the centre at Swynbank (Strandhill) has rescue areas suitable for fish and sea creatures.
• St Cosmas Training and Support – St. Cosmas Training and Support is the first aid, ambulance, and nursing wing of the Boroland Croix Rouge. It arose as the local Boroland branch of the international St. Cosmas movement headquartered in the United Kingdom, but in the years since independence it has severed official links with the Order of St Cosmas. It has its national headquarters in Otway and operates as a federation of 24 sub-units. There are two operational wings within each sub-unit called the Association Wing (which delivers first aid training) and the Brigade Wing (which delivers First Aid at public events).

Under the Boroland Charity Regulations 2017, charities with a turnover >B£1million or have >24 paid members of staff, must maintain their free reserves to cover 12 months running costs in order to be considered a ‘going concern’. In recent years the Boroland Charity Commission have allowed charities a year’s ‘grace period’ in order to recover their financial position before they step in and take action.

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