Charity and Voluntary Sector
CC: The Charity Commission has welcomed amendments to the Housing and Regeneration Bill. In February, the Commission raised concerns relating to proposals in the Bill to establish a new regulator with the power to set compulsory standards for providers of social housing - specifically that this could undermine the independence of some charities and force them into activities that could ultimately lead to the loss of their charitable status.
The new amendments were tabled by the Government last week in advance of further debate on the Bill due to take place on Monday (31 March) in the House of Commons. Taken together, the amendments would mean that the new regulator would now need to consult the Charity Commission on the implications of any new standards for charitable housing associations, giving the Commission an opportunity to identify any proposals that were incompatible with charity law.
