Charities & Not-for-Profit Plus Blog
Risks linked to business rates relief
Date: Tuesday 13th December, 2011 | Author: Wendy Bambrick
The Charity Commission has voiced concerns over risks charities are facing linked to business rates relief. Charities qualify for a 80% discount on business rates for properties that they occupy and use wholly or mainly for charitable purposes, and may also be granted relief on the remaining 20% on a discretionary basis. Landlords have to pay full business rates on commercial properties that remain empty for more than three months, including lower value properties such as small shops. This means that it...
The ‘new’ Charity Commission?
Date: Tuesday 6th December, 2011 | Author: Wendy Bambrick
The Charity Commission have undertaken a strategic review of itself. This was in response to their budget being cut by a third over four years. They have developed a new strategy that sets out their key goals and priorities over the coming four years. They have four main ‘planks’ to their new approach: Improving charities’ compliance and accountability Helping charities become more self sufficient Making the best use of technology Improving efficiency The commission has also made...
Train Your Trustees
Date: Friday 11th November, 2011 | Author: Louise Giles
A recent survey conducted by the Charities Commission has found that newly registered charities may not be preparing their trustees for the duties and responsibilities they will face. Based on the research findings, 40% of newly registered charities have not yet offered training and support to their new trustees. Sam Young chief executive of the Charity Commission said: ‘The survey findings highlight the importance of our guidance to trustees in helping new charities get off to a good start. ...
Independent Schools Council (ISC) vs. Charity Commission (CC)
Date: Friday 21st October, 2011 | Author: Wendy Bambrick
Under new rules introduced in 2006 private schools (along with all other charities) had to prove their wider public benefit to keep their charitable status. The ISC brought the Charity Commission to the Upper Tribunal as they felt that the Charity Commission’s guidance on charitable status was too narrow and did not take into account all the charitable work that schools were involved in. On 14 October 2011 a ruling was finally released by the High Court in London. It...
Launch of new charity review project
Date: Tuesday 20th September, 2011 | Author: Wendy Bambrick
This month a new project has been announced by the Charity Commission, with the aim of helping charities to review their financial controls and risk management systems. The Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, Sam Younger, made the announcement at the ICAEW’s Charity and Voluntary Sector Group Conference, held on 13 September 2011 in London, stating that this project was to act as a precursor to a larger intended Review Programme, which was being developed alongside the...
The General Annual Grant (GAG) - clawback
Date: Monday 8th August, 2011 | Author: Wendy Bambrick
The main funding received by an academy is usually through the General Annual Grant (GAG). The GAG cannot generally be used ‘for the advancement of education’, as per an academy’s governing document, but instead it comes with specific restrictions on its use, only allowing expense on recurrent expenditure of the academy. This generally includes expenditure on the establishment, conduct, administration and maintenance, but not most items of capital expenditure (specifically not those which would be...
One-to-one tuition funding and clawback for academies
Date: Wednesday 3rd August, 2011 | Author: Wendy Bambrick
Academies must use their allocation of one to one funding (identified through the Standards fund) by the 31 August. Any unclaimed one to one tuition funding will be subject to claw-back by the Department for Education. It has been noted that many Academies are yet to claim these funds. Funds can be claimed by Academies if one to one tuition has taken place and is done by updating the One to One Tuition website. This action is essential if for the...
Information for academies – Devolved Formula Capital (DFC)
Date: Monday 1st August, 2011 | Author: Wendy Bambrick
In December the Secretary of State announced that Academies would receive Devolved Formula Capital (DFC) on the same basis as local authority maintained schools. Following from this, The Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA) have written to all Academies that opened on or before 1 April 2011 to inform them about their DFC funding allocation for the financial year 1 April 2011 – 31 March 2011. They would like to clarify that the Special Education Needs (SEN) rate for DFC is applied to pupils attending designated...
Annual survey - school capacity data collection
Date: Friday 29th July, 2011 | Author: Wendy Bambrick
The Secretary of State requires that local authorities complete an annual survey of school capacity information. The survey includes information on individual schools – capacity, published admission numbers and numbers on roll. Aggregate pupil forecasts are also provided by local authorities at a local or district level. Forecasts are arranged by age group and are 5 years for primary aged pupils and 7 years for secondary aged pupils. As part of the survey, local authorities are also asked to provide information on...
Information for academies and schools with 6th forms
Date: Monday 25th July, 2011 | Author: Wendy Bambrick
Consultation on the revised Schools Admissions Code and School Admissions Appeals Code had begun by the Department for Education. The draft codes are considerably leaner than the current editions and are structured more clearly with simpler language. The changes in the codes are expected to create a system with national parameters that remains locally determined, is easier to understand/navigate, and maintains safeguards to ensure equal treatment. The consultation is in progress and will finish on 19th August.
