As part of the Winter Economy Plan, on 24 September the Chancellor announced the Coronavirus Job Support Scheme (JSS). The JSS is designed to protect viable jobs in businesses who are facing lower demand over the winter months due to Covid-19, to help keep their employees attached to the workforce. The JSS will be brought … Read more …
Many Christian charities (whether churches or other organisations) operate as either a charitable trust or a charitable unincorporated association (CUA). Historically, the only realistic alternative to these structures (other than incorporating the body of trustees, which is relatively uncommon) was for a charity to incorporate as a company limited by guarantee, but this brought with … Read more …
Marriage is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act). This means that treating someone less favourably because they are married (or because they are having marital difficulties) may be unlawful discrimination. The law and marriage It is worth noting that the law acts in favour of marriage. Under the Act, it is … Read more …
On 26th June 2020, the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act came into force, making temporary changes to the governance and regulation of incorporated organisations, due to COVID-19 restrictions. This included relaxing the position on general meetings, allowing companies and CIOs more flexibility on when to hold them and how to hold them. With the period … Read more …
If you are a registered charity, details of your charity appear on the Charity Commission’s public register, available online. On 3 September, the Commission launched the latest version of the online register, which now contains more information than ever about each charity. In particular, the register now includes details taken from your charity’s annual … Read more …
The GDPR modified the right of individuals to access data held about them. Here is a basic guide on what to do if you receive a Subject Access Request (SAR). Is the request valid? Requests can be either verbal or written. The request need not refer to the legislation or even say it is a … Read more …
The Cornerstone Judgment raises important questions for Christian organisations, such as Edward Connor Solicitors, who are seeking to conduct themselves in accordance with their beliefs, whilst obeying the law prohibiting unlawful discrimination. The full judgment can be read here. It is lengthy and we have written this article to clarify the key issues and principles, … Read more …
Getting to grips with the legal status of those who “work” in your organisation can be confusing. For example, are they actually an employee? It’s important to get right because different types of working create different obligations and rights, and one way we should seek to honour God is by properly honouring our obligations to … Read more …
With places of worship now permitted to open with restrictions, churches need to decide if they can safely open again for worship purposes. While we as church families understandably long to meet again in person, there are serious risks to consider, and real consequences for not assessing or mitigating those risks satisfactorily. What do we … Read more …
Emmanuel Evangelical Church in Newport, Wales has quite a remarkable history – the original fellowship was formed off the back of an open-air sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon, was part of the spiritual revival years at the beginning of the twentieth century, and welcomed Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones to speak at the opening of their current … Read more …
