Scottish charities will be subject to a new, more proactive monitoring regulatory regime from April this year, designed so as not to over-burden smaller charities with regulatory demands.

The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) has announced changes to the monitoring of charities within its jurisdiction in a new report, published following public consultation and a pilot monitoring scheme that involved 305 charities.

In April 2005 all recognised charities will be issued with an Annual Return, which will need to be submitted within three months. Charities with an income of more than £25,000 will also be required to submit their most recent set of accounts. Monitoring Returns will be issued between September and December 2005 to 400 charities with income of more than £25,000, and will need to be submitted within three months.

From April 2006 all charities will be required to complete a basic Annual Return and to submit accounts to the OSCR, while charities with incomes above £25,000 will need to submit a Monitoring Return. Submission deadlines will be staggered according to when the charities end their financial year.

“Charities will now engage directly with OSCR on an annual basis,” said Jane Ryder, chief executive of the OSCR. “I am confident we have the right balance between information required by the regulators and not creating unnecessary burdens, particularly on small charities.”