Welcome to our charity news update

Merry Christmas and welcome to our charity news update.

As we all come to the end of a busy year, we’d like to share some of our highlights with you, as well as some articles for you to consider in the New Year.

Catherine Gibbons looks at the impact of a charity’s independence, even from charitable partners.
Katie Crosbie provides a general guide to some of the issues faced by transgender and non-binary people in employment.
Safa Murad reviews the aftermath of the Oxfam inquiry and explains what to do should you find yourself facing an inquiry.
Natalie Barbosa looks at the issues facing charities when it comes to ethical investments.

Some highlights of 2019 include:

Edwina Turner’s contribution to the CLA working party on the British Standards Institute draft Code of Practice for Governance and Management of Charities and Funding Bodies consultation.
Phil Watts, Sarah Tomlinson and Edwina Turner’s appointment by the Charity Commission to act as interim managers for various charities facing problems.
Our ranking in the peer-nominated The Time Top 200 Law Firms, specifically commended for our charity work.
Esther Campsall’s participation at the Charity Commission round table on serious incident reporting.
Natalie Barbosa and Catherine Gibbons hosting events for Manchester and North-West-based charities.
A well-attended London events programme, led by Natalie Barbosa, including partnerships with Civil Society Magazine and Sayer Vincent.
Securing funding from ethical and mainstream lenders led by Alex Tindall, Laura Mynott and Jon Coane.
Edwina Turner and Sarah Tomlinson have provided complex trusts advice to faith clients at all levels, to enable them to achieve their aims and serve their communities and society innovatively.
Phil Scully, Beulah Allaway and Kieran Binnie and I have developed property and construction projects for large charity clients.
Our employment team, including Alice Kinder, Doug Mullen and Matthew Gregson, continue to advise in challenging areas for charities as they pursue their mission.

We’re developing a programme of events for 2020 and will be sharing more articles covering issues facing charities. If there are any topics that you would like us to cover, please get in touch.

Dominic Curran

Head of Charities

Latest news and ebriefings

What’s in a name? Reputation and crisis management – part 1 of 2 Wednesday 15 January 2020

Would you know how to manage an escalating social media storm? Are you confident in your plans and policies for responding to, and managing, a prominent ‘scandal’ in your charity?

Civil Partnerships for Opposite-Sex Couples Tuesday 14 January 2020

The Civil Partnership (Opposite-Sex Couples) Regulations 2019 were made on 5 November 2019 and came into force on 2 December 2019.

National Minimum Wage - is your organisation compliant? Friday 10 January 2020

HMRC’s approach to underpayment of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) is getting tougher and shows no sign of abating.

National Minimum Wage - is your organisation compliant? Friday 10 January 2020

HMRC’s approach to underpayment of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) is getting tougher and shows no sign of abating.

Section 1 statements – preparing for April 2020 Wednesday 8 January 2020

Now 2020 is here and we have welcomed in the new decade, it’s time to welcome in changes regards the contents of employee’s statement of particulars.

Prosecutions of local authorities by the Care Quality Commission Monday 6 January 2020

In December 2019, the Care Quality Commission brought its first prosecution against a local authority

Community Levy Infrastructure Reforms – Practical points for developing registered providers Wednesday 18 December 2019

The CIL was introduced under the Planning Act 2008 and the CIL Regulations 2010, which came into force in April 2010. CIL is a non-negotiable tax charged by local authorities on new developments.

Taxi licensing schemes are not intended to be self-financing or cross-subsidising Wednesday 18 December 2019

The Court of Appeal’s recent decision is likely to be unwelcome news for any cash-strapped councils seeking to fund the costs of taxi enforcement through licence fees.

Transgender and charities Tuesday 17 December 2019

It is important that trustees are aware of the law relating to people who are transgender and those who identify as non-binary so that they can ensure compliance.

Oxfam inquiry report – an aftermath of uncertainty Tuesday 17 December 2019

Earlier this year, the Charity Commission published its inquiry report into Oxfam GB, following allegations about events in Haiti in 2010 involving its staff members.