Updates

Transgender inclusion and beliefs

Some employees, volunteers and beneficiaries who object to a charity’s transgender inclusion policies say that their objections are based on their ‘gender critical beliefs’. In the second of our series of articles on transgender inclusion and the law, Mindy Jhittay explores the relationship between transgender inclusion and beliefs.
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Coronavirus and serious incident reporting (SIR) for charities

The Charity Commission requires charities to report actual or alleged serious incidents. Serious incident reports (SIRs) should be a prompt and open report to the Charity Commission which details what happened and the approach in which the charity is taking to deal with the serious incident. What is a serious incident? Serious incidences are defined …
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Virtual meetings

In the current crisis, charities have had to adapt rapidly to ensure decisions can be made without face-to-face meetings. It is the ideal time to future-proof your governing document so you can meet virtually. Leona Roche and Oliver Hunt highlight the key issues to consider so that your trustee board and (if applicable) your members …
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Charity Insolvency and Rescue Mechanisms: A Coronavirus Guide

Click here to see our downloadable guide on Charity Insolvency and Rescue Mechanisms. Background BackgroundThis brief guide should be read in conjunction with our general guide on managing solvency in a crisis, which can be found here: https://bateswells.co.uk/2020/03/charity-governance-and-solvency-a-coronavirus-guide/.This guide assumes that you have serious concerns about the solvency of your charity and may need to …
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COVID-19: New guidance from UKVI

UKVI has released additional guidance for a number of sectors and visa categories in connection with COVID-19, although in many cases this still leaves a range of issues and questions unanswered. NHS workers Doctors, nurses and paramedics whose visas are due to expire before 1st October 2020 will have their visas automatically extended for one …
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Casual Workers – are charities allowed to make discretionary payments?

Charities have had to made the tough decision in the current climate to cease engaging the services of some or all of their casual workers Some of the charity staff may be regular and longstanding members of staff (albeit without the level of legal protection enjoyed by the organisation’s employees). The charity may wish to …
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The coronavirus and its impact on the workplace: Victoria Cook offers guidance on how employers can respond

Following the coronavirus outbreak, employers are exploring ways in which they can prepare to meet the challenges likely to emerge over the coming weeks. Here, Victoria Cook provides a concise summary of how employers can respond to this ongoing issue. As an employer, you have a duty to take steps that are reasonably necessary to …
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Charity & Social Enterprise Update | Spring 2020

In the Spring issue of our Charity & Social Enterprise Update: If you would like to discuss any of the issues raised in this Update, please contact our Charity team.
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IR35 – The thorny issues

On 6 April 2020 new legislation is expected to come into force, which will radically alter how organisations currently pay their contractors.  Many contractors work through an intermediary, such as a Personal Service Company.  Currently, it is up to the PSC to deduct appropriate PAYE and National Insurance Contributions when paying the contractor. As of …
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Some clarity on post-Brexit immigration at last!

After three and a half years of uncertainty following the Brexit referendum, the government has announced exactly how it plans to begin reforming the UK immigration system for a world after free movement. These form the initial stage of a “multi-year programme of change” with much yet to be decided or announced, but what do …
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Chetal Patel comments on new government immigration system featured by charity and employment trade press

In the wake of yesterday’s Home Office announcement confirming the precise details of the government’s new points-based system, comments from Chetal Patel have now been covered by leading charity and employment trade publications Third Sector and People Management. Speaking to the Third Sector editorial team, Chetal highlighted what the reforms mean for charities, noting that …
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Government reveals new points-based immigration system: leading immigration lawyer comments on changes

Chetal Patel, Partner in our Immigration team, has commented on the latest government announcement on forthcoming changes to the UK’s immigration system. The new immigration framework, inspired by the Australian points-based system, will fundamentally change the current immigration arrangements, with UK borders soon to be completely closed to non-skilled workers. Responding to today’s announcement, Chetal …
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