This Briefing Pack contains a selection of material relevant to the forthcoming second reading of the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Bill 2015-16 in the House of Lords.
Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Bill (152KB PDF)
The Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Bill 2015-16 seeks to provide the Charity Commission with new or strengthened powers to regulate the charities sector in England Wales, in order to tackle abuse and protect charities from those deemed unfit to be charity trustees or senior managers. To this end, the Bill would provide for new criteria for the automatic and discretionary disqualification of individuals from acting as trustees; give the Commission a number of new investigation and inquiry powers; and provide it with a new power to issue statutory warnings. The Bill would also give charities a new power to make ‘social investments’.
Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Bill (152KB PDF)
The Local Plans (Burial Space) Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill introduced by Lord Mohammed of Tinsley (Liberal Democrat). The bill would establish a duty for local planning authorities in England to ensure adequate burial ground space is provided in their local area. It would also require them to set out plans for how they intend to address any shortfall in burial ground capacity.
![Local Plans (Burial Space) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 8 of session 2026–27](https://lordslibrary-parliament.studio24.dev/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Communities-1-568x426.png)
In January 2026, the government announced a new scheme to support urgent repairs and essential improvements to listed places of worship. Called the ‘Places of worship renewal fund for England’, it replaced the ‘Listed places of worship grant scheme’ which had run since 2001. This briefing provides an overview of both schemes, the government’s reasoning for the change and the reaction of stakeholders.
There have been big differences in expenditure across different forms of healthcare for a number of years. In 2024/25, spending on acute care was £74.7bn, compared to £14.5bn on primary care and £13.8bn on community services. Both the 2024 Labour Party manifesto and the subsequent 10 year health plan for England contained an emphasis on shifting towards more care being delivered in local communities rather than in acute settings, dubbed a ‘neighbourhood health service’.
