Parliamentary agent service

When it comes to charities with complex structures, we can offer an unparalleled service.

Bates Wells’ Mark Abbott is the first (and currently only) Parliamentary Agent to enrol specifically to help charities and not-for-profits. This means that statutory charities, Royal Charter bodies and other organisations with complex structures can come to Bates Wells for rounded advice on the full suite of options available when it comes to making constitutional and structural changes.

We can also advise on the drafting of public acts, outsourced from central government.

How we can help

Combining knowledge of Parliamentary processes with knowledge of the specific requirements for charities and the charity sector, we can find the best and most proportionate option for you. We can help with:

  • Updating or obtaining new statutory provisions – e.g. charitable purposes, restrictions on spending capital, or outdated administrative provisions, by the full range of methods including use of the Charities Act powers, supplemental charters, Parliamentary (“s.73”) schemes or private Acts of Parliament
  • Interpreting legislation and advising you on its meaning and impact on you
  • Representing bodies that wish to petition in relation to a proposed private Act of Parliament
Meet our parliamentary agent
You May Also Be Interested In

Election campaigning: when the political is personal

“I don’t have to win”, Maurice Saatchi supposedly once said, “I just have to make you lose”. In political advertising, …
Read more

General Election 2024 campaigning resources: catch up on the full series

What do you need to know to campaign effectively within the law in the next few weeks in the run …
Read more

New spending limits for non-party campaigners – what you need to know

Organisations and individuals that campaign ahead of an election (but are not standing candidates themselves) are known as ‘non-party campaigners’. …
Read more

Spotlight 2023: Charity campaigning law update

Suhan Rajkumar, senior associate in our Politics, Elections and Campaigning team, provides practical commentary on campaigning law for charities including …
Read more

General Election 2024: Charity Campaigning – a guide

Click here to download the guide. The year before an election can be a fantastic opportunity for charities to engage …
Read more