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Related news & insights - Rachel Spruce

Five key milestones for managing volunteer trustees
Posted: 06/11/2024
It is a well-established principle of charity law that a trustee should be an unpaid volunteer. While there are some specific and limited exemptions to this, the vast majority of trustees of the 170,000 charities registered in England and Wales give their time and expertise freely. Charities must therefore look after their trustees, right from......>>
New Charity Commission guidance: virtual trustee meetings and governance
Posted: 30/07/2024
Since the pandemic, many charities of all sizes have moved to virtual meetings, either some, or all of the time. What is now seen by many as the default is, however, not always permitted by a charity’s governing document. Up until April 2022, the Charity Commission was operating a temporary permission for all charities to hold electronic meetings......>>
Charity Commission appoints Penningtons Manches Cooper to its Interim Manager panel
Posted: 11/07/2024
Expanding our highly regarded charity sector expertise, partner Hilary Aldred and associate Rachel Spruce have been appointed to the panel of approved Interim Managers for the Charity Commission for England and Wales. The Charity Commission is a non-ministerial government department that regulates registered charities and maintains......>>
What does a Labour government mean for the charity sector?
Posted: 10/07/2024
Historically having a Labour government, with its emphasis on public welfare, has translated into increased funding for charities, particularly those addressing poverty, homelessness, and social inequality. It might therefore be thought that charities working in these sectors will now see an increase in government support; although if there really is......>>
Planning for the tax-efficient payment of school fees
Posted: 04/06/2024
A common question for families who have children at private school (or who are considering this option) is whether it is possible to share the costs of school fees tax-efficiently across the generations. The answer to this is yes, particularly for grandparents, who have a number of inheritance tax options available to them, if they would like to assist with......>>).
The legacy of classic cars: tax considerations when passing on a prized possession
Posted: 16/05/2024
There are over 330,000 ‘classic’ cars in Britain according to a freedom of information request to the DVLA in December 2023, which defines these as being cars that were first registered over 40 years ago. There are several diverse legal exemptions that historic cars can benefit from, including exemption from vehicle excise duty (the often......>>
Private schools, the permanent endowment ‘problem’, and VAT on fees
Posted: 12/04/2024
Changing social attitudes around private schools and their charitable status seem to have contributed to the Labour Party’s proposal to add VAT to private school fees (as well as remove the 80% business rates reduction they currently benefit from as charities). This article considers why this policy has changed, from the initial proposal of removing......>>
Charity Commission regulatory framework: a whistle-stop tour in light of the recent Mermaids case
Posted: 30/11/2022
The Charity Commission’s regulatory role has been thrown into the media spotlight recently, with the regulatory compliance case opened into the trans rights charity, Mermaids, which has now been escalated into a statutory inquiry. So how does the Commission actually carry out its regulatory role?.....>>
When running a small charity becomes too expensive
Posted: 17/05/2022
When it comes to administering a small charity, the costs and administrative burden can sometimes outweigh the charitable cause it was set up to benefit. This has recently come into focus for some small charitable trusts now facing HMRC Trust Registration Service compliance. When established, these charitable trusts......>>

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