Mactaggart launches Charities Bill
A Home Office Minister has launched a new Charities Bill designed to improve regulation in the voluntary sector.
The bill will provide a modern definition of charity and aims to improve public confidence in the sector by improving accountability.
One of the measures included is the establishment of a new tribunal to deal with any unresolved complaints.
Speaking at the launch Voluntary Sector Minister Fiona Mactaggart said: “Charities are a major force for good in society. They can reach out to some of our most marginalised and deprived communities and provide a strong voice for those who need it.”
“The UK’s charity laws, some of which date back 400 years, are in need of urgent modernisation. It is important that charities are properly regulated and that the public has confidence in the system.
“That’s why the Bill establishes that public benefit is the bedrock of charitable status.”
As such, one element of the bill seeks to ensure that charitable donations are used correctly and that abuses are stamped out.
Public collections will remain self regulated, but the Government said they would reserve the option to introduce legislation at a later time.
There will though be a new code of conduct designed to clamp down on so called charity “muggers”. There have been an increasing number of complaints about professional collectors harassing people on the street and attempting to get them to sign direct debits.
Though the collectors are meant to inform people that a proportion of the money they donate will go to a commercial company, collectors on the street often ignore this regulation.
Up until now as they have not been collecting cash, they have been able to operate without regulation. However new powers granted to councils will enable local authorities to restrict the areas and time slots collectors operate in.
Ms Mactaggart continued: “Our proposals will help build trust between people and our diverse range of charities by making their regulation clear and making sure that money given by individuals and the Government is properly used and that any abuses are stamped on.
“By building confidence we can motivate people to connect with charities and give their time, talents and money in ways that will benefit the whole community.
Equally she said the charitable sector would benefit from the plans as: “The Bill will reduce bureaucracy, enable new and existing charities to thrive and support the independence of the voluntary and community sector.
Alongside the publication of the draft Charities Bill, the Home Office has announced plans for a simplified licensing system for public collections, to be administered by local authorities. A number of stakeholders including charities, police and the Charity Commission are set to take forward work on the scheme.
