Charity

A former minister says he would scrap small medical charities if he were still in government. Guy Opperman told a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference yesterday that he would “intervene in the medical world massively” to reduce the number of charities. Opperman, the Conservative MP for Hexham, was speaking on a panel hosted

Aid charities must “go beyond technocratic solutions” to challenge colonialist, sexist and racist behaviour in international development, according to umbrella body Bond. The organisation made the call in a guide published today, which aims to help aid charities share power and decision-making with local partners. The guide is intended to “incite action” inside organisations, Bond

Most charities “dabble in politics way too much”, a former government minister has said. Guy Opperman, who was a pensions minister for five years until last month’s reshuffle, argued that charities should avoid politics and instead focus on “what they are actually doing”.  Opperman, the Conservative MP for Hexham, was speaking on a panel at

Pension schemes at the country’s 40 largest charities have a combined deficit of nearly £10bn, research shows. The finance firm Hymans Robertson said that a combination of falling reserves and uncertain income was painting a “difficult picture” for the schemes. It analysed defined benefit pension schemes – which are managed by employers and based on

The new charities minister has been urged to “think carefully about his priorities” as it emerged he would also oversee heritage, tourism and growth. Lord Syed Kamall has had his full title confirmed as the minister for civil society, heritage, tourism and growth – the latest combination of responsibilities within the brief. His predecessor Nigel

The sole trustee of a cancer charity has been ordered to pay back £117,000 for misusing funds – including on a planned project to build a 210ft Welsh dragon statue. As a result of legal action by the Charity Commission, the High Court has ruled that money must be recovered and distributed to support cancer

Charities should seize the “perfect moment” and begin to challenge big businesses to address social issues, think tank and consultancy New Philanthropy Capital said. In a briefing put together with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Share Action, NPC said it was time to put the ‘S’ into ESG. Environmental, social and governance is the model businesses use to

Islamic Relief has won Charity of the Year at the Third Sector Awards 2022. The winners were announced at a lunchtime reception in central London, hosted by the writer and performer Ben Bailey Smith. Islamic Relief, which was named Charity of the Year in the large charity bracket, was called a “visionary charity” by judges

The number of whistleblowing disclosures about charity wrongdoing has decreased by 35 per cent in one year, new figures show. According to its annual whistleblowing report, the Charity Commission received 281 disclosures in the year 2021/2022, 150 fewer than in the previous year. But the regulator warned that the figure still represented the second highest

Tickets on Sale Now for Star-Studded Philadelphia City Winery Event November 8th, 6 PM to 10 PM ET Malvern, PA – September 30, 2022: Rajant Corporation, the pioneer of Kinetic Mesh® wireless networks, will host the third annual “World Music Benefit” to raise awareness and encourage donations for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the

A national charity has been ordered to pay almost £40,000 to a former employee after claims of unfair dismissal were upheld by an employment tribunal. The Manchester tribunal found that The Children’s Society unlawfully dismissed Richard Brown, who joined the organisation in 2015 as a human resources business partner and worked in roles including service

Charitable donations have been pouring in after the death of a “devoted” fundraising director who suffered a brain haemorrhage during a Parkrun. Nila James, 55, director of fundraising at Magic Bus UK, is survived by her husband Matt and their two daughters. Following her death on 5 September, Matt set up a JustGiving page to

Salford’s mayor has urged super-rich footballers from the Manchester region to buy an £8m LS Lowry painting and allow it to remain on public display. Lowry’s painting, Going to the Match, is being auctioned in October by the Players’ Foundation, the professional footballers’ charity. The 1953 painting had been loaned to Salford’s Lowry Arts Centre,

The Charity Commission has acknowledged that boards of trustees do not “as a whole” reflect the diversity of their communities. Chief executive Helen Stephenson also said that boards lacking the right mix of skills, experience and background were “at risk of ‘groupthink’ and of losing their way”. Her comments came in a letter responding to

Five major charities have launched the UK’s first 100 per cent voluntary sector-owned payroll giving system after more than a year of development. The aim of GoodPaye is to raise £150m for charities by 2030, by “making workplace giving more impactful and more accessible to employees, employers, and charities”. The venture between Barnardo’s, Crisis, The

The chief executive of MSI Reproductive Choices received a £229,000 bonus in 2021 – almost doubling his annual remuneration to £460,000. Simon Cooke’s pay package comes three years after the Charity Commission criticised MSI’s board for failing to properly record discussions before awarding him a £217,250 bonus in 2018. The reproductive healthcare charity defended the

A group of charities have formed a national coalition to keep Covid in people’s minds and provide support for those with long-term effects from the virus. Covid Alliance UK brings together organisations including Asthma & Lung UK, Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, Fifth Sense, Citizens Advice, ENO Breath and Covid-19 UK Families  – with Covid

A charity that helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds get into accountancy and finance careers has appointed a new director. Sanjay Singh will lead the ICAS Foundation, taking over from Linda Jamieson, who has been director since 2014. Singh has spent almost 15 years in the charitable sector and has worked with several prominent charities

The government is investigating safety at schools run by the National Autistic Society after claims that a child was found eating a dead rat and a teacher brought in a sword. Third Sector has seen a host of documents relating to these and other incidents, which have led to the Department for Education demanding assurances

The Charity Commission will not intervene in a controversial plan to sell a charity-owned rural estate in Cornwall to raise funds for an independent school, despite local opposition. The regulator acknowledged that its decision would be a “further disappointment” for residents, but said it had no role in the potential sale. The decision clears the

Macmillan Cancer Support has today announced that Gemma Peters, currently chief executive of Blood Cancer UK, will be its next chief executive. She joins Macmillan with 20 years of experience in health and cancer care at Blood Cancer UK, King’s Health Partners, King’s College London and Mencap. Peters said: “I am delighted to be joining

The majority of working-class staff at anti-poverty charities avoid discussing their backgrounds at work because of misconceptions about class, research has found. The research report Missing Experts, published today by youth-leadership charity Reclaim, says working-class employees are “sick of being overlooked, patronised or stereotyped” by colleagues in the sector who make assumptions about their backgrounds.

It will take more than tax cuts to rejuvenate the charity sector, experts have told the government ahead of today’s mini-budget. Amid reports that the new Chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, is considering announcing a swathe of tax cuts, one leader told Third Sector he could not see how tax reductions “will make any difference to charities

MPs and government ministers are increasingly unwilling to engage with charities unless the issue “secures column inches”, according to a study. Researchers spoke to some of the UK’s biggest charities and found a 12-month trend among MPs and ministers of decreased engagement with, and fewer responses to outreach from, voluntary groups. Sector leaders fear the

Charities today told of their relief as Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng promised to protect Gift Aid donations from the impact of the income tax cut announced in his mini-budget. But there was widespread voluntary sector anger at the balance of the package of announcements, with Oxfam GB saying the focus on cutting tax meant the poorest

Former civil society minister Tracey Crouch has today launched a national report urging Prime Minister Liz Truss to cut through the lottery red tape that is costing charities millions of pounds. The report, by People’s Postcode Lottery, comes on the day of new Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget, which is expected to include a package of

The Business Charity Awards, which recognise the outstanding work done by the people and teams behind corporate and charity partnerships, have opened to entries for 2023. The awards, which are run by Third Sector, cover 24 categories, spanning sector partnerships and teams. One of those category winners will be selected to win the prestigious Business

A record number of people across the globe donated money to charity or helped a stranger in 2021, a study shows today. And approximately 40 percent of the world’s population took part in charitable actions last year, according to the Charities Aid Foundation World Giving Index 2022. The World Giving Index, compiled by the market

Funding for good causes through lottery sales will more than double in the next 10 years, the new National Lottery operator has promised. Allwyn will run the National Lottery from February 2024 after being awarded the licence in April. It replaces Camelot, which has run the National Lottery since it started in 1994. Allwyn made