Updates

Covid-19 Inquiry – Module 2 now open

On 31 August, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry announced the opening of its second investigation, which will look at the core political and administrative decision-making of the UK and devolved governments.  The second investigation is split into four parts: Modules 2, 2A, 2B, and 2C. Module 2 is concerned with the decision-making of the UK Government, …
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Response to the Charity Commission consultation on Annual Return changes

In June this year, the Charity Commission began consulting on a range of changes to its Annual Return, through which it hopes to gather more data about your charity. The consultation closed on 1 September 2022. A flexible approach The Commission says that it wants to make the Annual Return more flexible, so that it …
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Only one month to go until the transitional arrangements for right to work checks end on 30 September 2022

The change to the right to work checks is in line with the Home Office’s prioritisation of digitising the UK immigration system. Here are our three top tips for employers to consider now: From 1 October 2022 employers can no longer rely on the transitional right to work check arrangements brought in during to the …
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Setting up a corporate foundation

Setting up a charity connected to your business is a great way to amplify your company’s positive impact. We have done this ourselves (the Bates Wells Foundation works to support sustainable social change), and over the years we’ve helped numerous businesses – from SMEs to global corporations – to set up and manage their foundations. …
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Developing an investment policy that is in your company’s, and the climate’s, best interests – our practical steps

We recently acted for the successful claimants in the High Court case of Butler-Sloss v Charity Commission. The ground-breaking judgment approved the claimants’ decision to align their charities’ investments with the goals of the Paris Agreement to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, even where this involves financial risk by excluding a large part …
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Resilient real estate: what are the opportunities for your portfolio?

The impact of climate change has very real risks on real estate assets including: subsidence, flood risk, heat stress and in some cases, coastal erosion. There are also less tangible effects that can be mitigated against. Which opportunities can arise from making your portfolio more resilient to climate change?
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Harpur Trust v Brazel: what you need to know and what you need to do

The Supreme Court has delivered its judgment in the long-running case of Harpur Trust v Brazel. Paul Seath, Damian Ward and Olivia Woodward consider the impact for employers. Background Mrs Brazel is a visiting music teacher at a school run by the Harpur Trust. She is employed on a permanent contract which is ongoing throughout …
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Government closes capital flexibilities “loophole”

The government has issued a new direction regarding the flexible use of capital receipts for transformation costs. The direction, and updated guidance, clarifies that assets sold to entities which are part of a local authority’s group do not qualify as disposals resulting in capital receipts which are eligible to fund the revenue costs of projects that …
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B Corps: What should you be asking your banks?

We surveyed our B Corp network to understand their borrowing habits, and how important their bank’s ESG credentials are to them. While many B Corps don’t borrow from an impact-focused lender, they see their lenders as an important part of their supply chain. Here’s what we learned. Following the research, we asked Dave Waters, Executive …
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How to improve your job ads (and what not to do)

Getting job ads right is important; the job ad is likely the first impression a prospective candidate will get about your organisation. A recently published study by Chatter Communications has looked at over 200 jobs ads from FTSE 100 companies and found that only 5% of these ads were completely gender neutral in their wording. …
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Setting up a charity

We have helped countless organisations to establish themselves as charities. There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to setting up a charity. However, there are common steps and issues to consider that we see every time. From choosing the right legal form and charitable purposes to settling on the right name and getting the charity …
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The Data Protection and Digital Information Bill and the government’s legislative programme – lowering privacy standards

The government’s vision of developing a “world-leading data policy” and “unleashing the power of data” may be undermined by its own legislative agenda.  Together, the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, the ‘Brexit Freedoms Bill’ and the Bill of Rights are likely to lower data protection standards in the UK by undermining the central underpinning …
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