By Claire Racine

The Charity Commission has published practical guidance and a fictitious example report to help show trustees of arts charities how to draw up their annual report and accounts, incorporating the new requirement to report on public benefit.

While not a template, the Commission’s chief executive, Andrew Hind, hopes the example will prove a useful tool for trustees as they report on their public benefit for the first time in the next set of annual accounts published after March 31 2009.

“The example allows charities to envisage in a practical way how their own trustees’ annual report might look as they move towards reporting on public benefit,” Hind said.

“We are committed to assisting charities in complying with the new reporting requirements and this guidance has been produced in response to requests from the sector.”

The new example report accompanies the Commission’s existing public benefit guidance and is available from the website at www.charitycommission.gov.uk under Public benefit guidance.