Charity

The downstream impact of Finch v Surrey County Council, one year on

Last week marked one year since the landmark decision in R (Finch) v Surrey County Council, a challenge to Surrey’s decision to allow the expansion of an onshore oil well site. In its June 2024 judgment, the Supreme Court held that, in its decision, the Council should have weighed “downstream” greenhouse gas emissions. These would …
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Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 24 June

Our weekly round up of news and updates from across the sector. To help you navigate this week’s content, the links below will take you straight to content by topic. Charity Commission The latest edition of Charity Connection focuses on celebrating small charities and covers World Whistleblower Day, mentioning various whistleblowing resources for charities. See …
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Ten things you need to know about the new Code of Fundraising Practice

After three years of consultation and engagement by the Fundraising Regulator on changes to the Code of Fundraising Practice (the ‘Code’), the new draft has now arrived. There will be an implementation period to get ready for it, with the new Code coming into force on 1 November 2025. The existing (2019) version of the …
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Keys with conditions: What you need to know about service occupancies

Service occupancies are a common but often misunderstood arrangement, especially for organisations like charities, schools, care providers and religious institutions that offer housing to employees as part of their job. While convenient in many ways, service occupancies carry significant legal complexity, particularly if the employment relationship ends or changes over time. What is a service …
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Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 18 June

Our weekly round up of news and updates from across the sector. To help you navigate this week’s content, the links below will take you straight to content by topic. Charity Commission Updated guidance on raising concerns The Charity Commission has updated its guidance on raising a concern with the Commission (CC47). The press release …
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Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 11 June

Our weekly round up of news and updates from across the sector. To help you navigate this week’s content, the links below will take you straight to content by topic. Charity Commission We reported a few weeks ago that the Charity Commission’s guidance CC30, Finding and appointing new trustees, has been updated. We’ve reviewed the …
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Using the law to create change – a new guide for charities and campaigning groups

In partnership with NEON, this new guide explains how your organisation can use the law to create meaningful change. Legal action is rarely enough to drive systemic change on its own, but the law can be a powerful tool for purpose-driven organisations, especially when combined with other tactics within a broader campaign strategy. The guide …
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Protected: Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 1 July

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Kids Company judicial review – winners or losers?

Philip Kirkpatrick reflects on the recent High Court decision on the judicial review case brought against the Charity Commission in relation to its 2022 inquiry report into Kids Company. Many people will have thought that the Kids Company case was all over long ago. Well, it is now, following a recent High Court judgment in …
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Setting up in the UK – support for US non-profits

At Bates Wells, we work with a wide range of international organisations, to support you in navigating the English landscape for charities and non-profits. In the face of increasing concerns about the regulatory landscape in the US, we are working with a number of clients to explore their options for maintaining resilience and mitigating risk …
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Bates Wells discusses Charitable Funds with Independent Schools Management Magazine

Laura Soley and Alice Faure Walker have published an article in the Independent Schools Management Magazine, April 2025 edition. Their article, “Unlock your funds” gives top tips for independent schools on unlocking charitable restricted and endowment funds for broader use, including changing purposes of funds and accessing capital of endowments.This article should be timely, as we’ve …
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The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 – ID verification

Posted on 7 March 2025 and updated on 11 April 2025 In this blog, we continue our series on the reforms under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 and update you on the new identity verification regime. What is identity verification and who needs to do it? The Act requires the following people …
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