Last week the NCVO Members’ Assembly representatives gathered to discuss UK charity legislation that is due to be reviewed from the end of this year. The most important outcome of the day, as could be seen during both the Q&A session that followed the panel speakers, and the ‘speed debating’ in the afternoon, was that members understood how important charity law actually is to them and to what they do!
The discussions were very lively and highlighted that there are mixed views on a number of important issues, such as:
- What is the appropriate threshold for small charities to register? Some see registration as a burden but others consider it as a ‘badge’ that adds value.
- What is the essential role of the Charity Commission? Should it focus on ensuring compliance or should it provide guidance and advice to charities?
These are only a couple of the points that emerged, but many more questions were asked about trustee liability, the payment of trustees, charities campaigning, public benefit, whether the Commission should charge for services… (Listen to the podcast to find out more)
Elizabeth Chamberlain
Elizabeth was head of policy and public services at NCVO until 2020. 
