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Charities Act 2006

The Charities Act 2006 aims to support a dynamic and vibrant sector, ensuring that it continues to enjoy high levels of public confidence.

The Act will reform charity law and regulation to:

• enable charities to administer themselves more efficiently and be more effective
• improve the regulation of charity fundraising, and reduce regulation on the sector, especially for smaller charities
• provide a clear definition of charity with an emphasis on public benefit
• modernise the Charity Commission's functions and powers as regulator, increase its accountability, and preserve its independence from Ministers.

The Charities Act 2006 [External website] along with the explanatory notes [External website] that accompany it are available on the website of the Office of Public Sector Information. Hard copies, can be purchased from The Stationery Office.

The new law does not come into effect immediately after Royal Assent. Instead various parts will be brought in to force in sequence, starting early 2007. An implementation plansets out this process and indicates when the various provisions of the Act will come into force.

• Implementation plan [PDF 71KB, 5 pages]

Plain English guide to the Charities Act

The Office of the Third Sector and Charity Commission have jointly produced a plain English guide to the Charities Act 2006, aimed primarily at charities with an income below £500,000. It explains the main provisions of the Act, and where you can go for further information or guidance on specific provisions. The web–version of the guide will be updated as various provisions of the Act are commenced, or new guidance published.

• Charities Act 2006: what trustees need to know (interactive) [PDF 890KB, 46 pages]
• Charities Act 2006: what trustees need to know (hardcopy suitable for printing) [PDF 1.3MB, 52 pages]

This guide is also available in Welsh and in large print format:

• Charities Act 2006: what trustees need to know (Welsh) [PDF 888KB, 52 pages]
• Charities Act 2006: what trustees need to know (large print) [PDF 120KB, 72 pages]
• Charities Act 2006: what trustees need to know (large print) [Word 169KB, 72 pages]

You can also order free hard copies of the guide. Please call 0845 015 0010 and quote URN 07/Z2 for the guide in English, or URN 07/Z2/w for the guide in Welsh.

A Braille version of the guide is also available – please phone the above number and quote URN 07/Z2/br.

Please note that stocks are limited.

Charity law reform in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Charity law and regulation is devolved in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Scotland

Scottish charity law was changed by the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act, which received Royal Assent on 14 July 2005. You can find out more on the Scottish Executive's website [External website].

Northern Ireland

The Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland has recently finished a consultation on reforming charity law and regulation in Northern Ireland. It has now published, for consultation, a draft Order in Council that would give effect to the proposals.

• Draft Order in Council [External website]