In the news last week...11 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.

Tampon Tax Fund’s ‘gagging clause’

The DCMS has redrafted its guidance notes after they stated that charities could use the Tampon Tax Fund for campaigning and awareness-raising work – that line will now be removed from the guidance, and charities that apply for Tampon Tax funding for campaigning and awareness-raising work will definitely not receive grants. Acevo has called on the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to remove this clause in order to ‘’enable successful grantees to have maximum impact with the funds they are awarded.”

‘Voluntary Action: a way forward’

Sir Stuart Etherington has outlined proposals around how the growth of civil society can be encouraged in the recently published pamphlet; ‘Voluntary Action: a way forward’. Highlighting that existing resources are not enough, some of Etherington’s suggestions are that:

  • The government permanently endow local charitable foundations, allowing them to grant fund local projects.
  • The complex legal and regulatory framework for organisations that exist to benefit the public (charities, social enterprises and mutual) is simplified.
  • Support for statutory time-off for volunteering, particularly for trustees, is renewed.

**Read the full report here.