Charity Update - 30 March 2021
Locations
Welcome to the latest issue of Fieldfisher's Charity Update. Once again Covid-19 and its impact on the sector features prominently, but there is news of forthcoming improvements to the charity law framework and additional guidance on governance available to charity trustees.
Neil Palmer
23 March 2021
National Audit Office publishes "Investigation into government funding to charities during the COVID-19 pandemic" report
The report explores the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport's distribution of £513 million of the support package given to frontline charities. The report considers how the Department allocated funds, how financial support could be accessed by the sector and where financial support was received. Read the report here.
National Audit Office & Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
22 March 2021
Government publishes response to Law Commission's "Technical Issues in Charity Law" report
The government has accepted the majority of the Law Commission's recommendations on charity law. The proposed reforms are intended to make charity regulation more effective and make the legal framework easier to navigate. It is hoped this will enable charities to use their money and resources more effectively. Please read this document in full for further details.
Office for Civil Society, Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
19 March 2021
Charity Commission takes action against 5 trustees after finding £1 million of charity funds not properly accounted for
The inquiry found that over £1million in the Orphan Relief Fund and Charitable Trust's funds could not be properly accounted for. The funds were claimed to have been sent to Iraq. Five trustees have been removed or disqualified for their actions. The charity as also been wound-up and removed from the register. Read the press release in full here.
Charity Commission
18 March 2021
New NAVCA CEO starts role
Maddy Desforges joined NAVCA this week, taking on the role of CEO which was held by Jane Ide OBE until November 2020.
NAVCA
15 March 2021
Latest 'Respond, recover, reset: the voluntary sector and COVID-19' report is delivered
The March 2021 report of this series shows that the impact of the pandemic has been "uneven and unpredictable" on voluntary organisations. Income from trading activity is expected to drop more than 17% next year. Further to that, only 44% of respondents said they could rely on their cash reserves for more than six months, while 9% either had no cash reserves or not enough to last them a month.
Nottingham Trent University, NCVO and Sheffield Hallam University
11 March 2021
Charity Commission finds National Trust did not breach charity law
The compliance case found that there were no grounds for regulatory action against the charity, following their report on the links between their properties, colonialism and slavery. For more information about the case, please see this press release or this blog by Helen Stephenson of the Charity Commission.
Charity Commission
11 March 2021
DCMS publishes Coronavirus Impacts on Third Sector Survey
DCMS publishes survey data on how the United Kingdom's third sector has been impacted by and responded to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in June 2020.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
10 March 2021
Charity Commission disqualifies trustee after over £200,000 intended for school in South Sudan is unaccounted for
A former trustee of an educational charity has been disqualified over his involvement in the transfer of large sums of charity money that remain unaccounted for. Read the press release and decision for further details.
Charity Commission
9 March 2021
Charity Commission launches campaign to help charity trustees be "certain in uncertain times"
The regulator has launched a campaign aimed at helping trustees refresh their knowledge of charity governance. A suite of 5 videos have been launched across social media channels promote the regulators '5-minute guides'.
Charity Commission