Government plans to introduce a Charities Bill to cut red tape in the voluntary sector, have been welcomed by the Charity Commission.

The regulator’s director of legal services Aarti Thakor says that the proposed changes “should make life simpler for trustees and help them maximise the benefits that their charity delivers”.

The planned Bill would let “trustees get on with the important work of running their charity, whilst maintaining strong oversight for the instances when things do go wrong”, she adds.

“When enacted, the changes would also ease some of the regulatory pressures on trustees and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy. This will enable charities to deliver greater impact for the people and causes they are set up to support.”

The Charities Bill was announced last week in the Queen’s Speech. It aims to implement a number of recommendations in the Law Commission’s 2017 report Technical Issues in Charity Law.

The proposed changes for charities and trustees include being able to amend governing documents more easily.

Charities will also be allowed access to a wider pool of advisors on the disposal of land.

In addition the proposed legislation aims to give charities more flexibility to make use of a permanent endowment, which is month or property originally meant to be held forever by a charity.

Also, trustees will be able to be paid for good s provided to a charity but only in certain circumstances.

The NCVO sayd the Bill will be helpful in simplifying technical aspects of the law. However, it notes that ministers have rejected recommendations to review appeal rights to the Charity Tribunal.

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