Until now protective security at UK venues has been entirely voluntary. ‘Martyn’s Law’ will change this, bringing in legal requirements for many venues – including churches – to ensure public safety on their premises. Background Following the Manchester Arena bombing attack in 2017, Martyn’s Law aims at preventing such acts of terrorism. While clearly having … Read more …
We hope you have found our article on the new Charities Act useful. The first wave of changes being introduced by the new legislation came into force at the end of October 2022. After more recent changes came into force, we thought it would be helpful to flag up the change in relation to charity … Read more …
A charity’s reporting and accounting obligations to the Charity Commission will depend on a number of factors including whether the charity is exempt or excepted from registration, whether the charity is a company, the charity’s gross annual income, and the value of the charity’s assets. (Note that this Article only deals with a charity’s obligations … Read more …
While it’s generally evident who your trustees or directors are, ‘members’ form an all too often forgotten component of charitable companies and Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs). We’re not talking about members in the sense you might be more used to at church, but are referring to it in its legal definition – akin to shareholders … Read more …
On 24 February 2022, the Charities Bill received Royal Assent and passed into law as the Charities Act 2022. The recommendations from the Law Commission formed the basis for the new legislation, and the Act is designed to give charity trustees greater flexibility to manage charities more effectively. We do not consider the changes will … Read more …
In response to the lockdown restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing concern for people’s health, many churches have been holding their general meetings online – either amending their constitutions to allow for this, or (when it was in force from June 2020 to March 2021) making use of the Government’s emergency legislation. Some churches … Read more …
Who is the Fundraising Regulator? The Regulator manages a system of fundraising self-regulation and provides advice to two main constituencies – fundraisers and members of the public. You can find their guidance for those two groups here: Key behaviours expected of fundraisers: guidance for fundraisers Key behaviours you should expect from fundraisers: advice for the … Read more …
Please note this article covers legislation changes relevant only to England and Wales. This does not affect marriage registration in either Scotland or Northern Ireland, where a schedule system is already in place for marriages and civil partnerships. Marriage registration moves online The way that marriages are registered in England and Wales has changed. Until … Read more …
Please note the flexibilities on how members’ meetings are held came to an end on 30th March 2021. While the flexibilities have now expired, you will still find useful information in our article below and our adjoining advice note if you are thinking about holding a virtual members meeting. Download advice note ‘Remote members’ meetings … Read more …
Many smaller churches which are affiliated to the FIEC or another umbrella body are currently excepted from the requirement to register with the Charity Commission. This excepted status for churches is due to come to an end in March 2031 and it is possible that the Commission will enable or invite registrations from excepted churches … Read more …
