In the news last week...05 December

Take a look at all the charity sector headlines from the last week

Our Researcher Mairéad Bailie surmises the biggest headlines from last week.

Call for more funding and powers

The chair of the Charity Commission, William Shawcross, has told the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee that the regulator needs more funding and greater powers. Shawcross stressed how the Commission is experiencing an increase in demand, with more organisations applying to become charities, and thus has suggested an increase in funding ‘at least by the rate of inflation’.

Shawcross has also said the regulator is hoping to start the process of consulting charities about charging for regulation soon, which will only affect the ‘top 1-2% of charities’. DSC is opposed to this idea for many reasons – you can read more about why and join us here.

Budget offers very little to the voluntary sector

Despite the government’s new civil society strategy, the second budget of the year has again failed to address a range of issues affecting charities across the UK. The shadow minister for civil society and a number of charity sector representative bodies have described the budget as ‘backward looking, tepid and silent on our concerns’.

The Budget speech has also failed to address the fact that charities risk losing at least £258.4 million in EU funds due to Brexit.