Felicity Aris

Refining the subsidy control regime: our response to the consultation

The introduction of the new UK subsidy control regime in 2023 brought with it a range of challenges for organisations distributing public money – mainly central and local government, but also non-department public bodies and charitable funders – as well as grant applicants, as they got to grips with compliance. The Department for Business and …
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USAID and UK NGOs: Trump’s Executive Order Freezing Foreign Assistance

Many INGOs and English charities working in the humanitarian and international development sectors will be impacted by President Trump’s recent executive order, Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid. The order mandates a 90-day pause in U.S. foreign aid assistance, with a view to aligning US aid to President Trump’s foreign policy agenda: it was …
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Bates Wells contributes to pioneering Charity Investment Governance Principles

Bates Wells has joined with CFG and other sector bodies to launch the Charity Investment Governance Principles (CIGP). Following on from the landmark charity investment case of Butler-Sloss in 2022 which set the precedent for charities to consider non-financial factors when making investment decisions, these new principles are aimed at providing greater clarity for trustees …
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Freedom of speech duties to be reintroduced in amended form, following advocacy from Bates Wells client NUS Charity and sector leaders

The Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, has announced that it is proposed to recommence the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 in a significantly amended form. The key provisions were postponed by the incoming government in July 2024, days before they were due to come into force. Bates Wells, together with NUS Charity and other …
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Faith-based Organisations: 2024 and 2025 update

Welcome to our annual faith-based update. In this packed edition, we cover a range of issues that commonly present challenges for faith-based organisations and explore recent developments that will impact faith-based charities. In this edition, we explore: Read the update here or download a copy here. We hope you enjoy this update and find it …
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Groundbreaking cases and positive impact: Bates Wells recognised by The Times Best Law Firms 2025

We’ve been recognised by The Times Best Law Firms 2025 for our work for charities, employment, immigration, and administrative & public law. Stand out work was recognised on a ground-breaking employment case against Uber Eats, and with the RSPCA on animal welfare regulation in the UK, highlighted in our latest impact report. And also our …
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Cabinet Office survey on the National Procurement Policy Statement – an opportunity for mission driven procurement?

The Procurement Act 2023, which promises a major overhaul of public procurement law, will now take effect on 24 February 2025. It had previously been due to go live on 28 October 2024 but was delayed by the new Labour Government in early September (as we explained previously). The reason given for the delay was …
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A social investment power for statutory charities and Royal Charter bodies

By this stage, most charities have likely considered whether they could, and should, engage in social investments: activities which may both directly further the charity’s purposes and achieve a financial return. And, if not (or if it has been a while) the amendment of the regime in the Charities Act 2022 may have put it …
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Strategic litigation: how charities can use the law as a force for good

Strategic litigation is an exciting and increasingly important topic and charities are at the forefront. From challenging government policies to highlighting greenwashing, participating in inquiries and supporting others to bring or defend claims, litigation can be a valuable tool in pursuing charitable purposes, raising awareness and driving change. On 24 September 2024, we hosted a …
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Our B Corp recertification results: a commitment to being, and doing, better

In August we received the news from B Lab that their extensive verification checks had been completed and our third recertification as a B Corp was successful with a confirmed score of 140.2. This is an increase of more than 23 points since we last recertified in 2021 and puts us amongst the top scoring …
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Watch again | Strategic litigation: how charities can use the law as a force for good | 24 September 2024

In this webinar, we were joined by Paul Benson (ClientEarth), Jake White (WWF UK), Joss Saunders (Oxfam) and Bonike Bracewell (Save the Children UK) to discuss how charities can use the law to create a widespread positive impact for people and the planet. We discussed how strategic litigation can help charities to achieve their goals, …
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“Distorted and fragmented responsibility”: the role of public law and regulation in ensuring accountability after the Grenfell Tower Inquiry

Seven years since the Grenfell Tower fire in North Kensington, a disaster which brought into devastating focus decades of institutional failings in fire safety and construction standards, and in which 72 people lost their lives, Chair of the Public Inquiry Sir Martin Moore-Bick this month published his 1,700-page report (“the Grenfell Report”) into the tragedy. …
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