The Charities Bill was announced in the Queen’s Speech on 11 May 2021 and introduced in the House of Lords on 26 May 2021. It is scheduled to be considered in second reading committee on 7 July. It is a Law Commission bill and is expected to be subject to the special procedure for these types of bills. In the Lords, this allows it to be considered by a second reading committee and by a special public bill committee, rather than having the usual House second reading and committee stages.
Charities Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (311KB PDF)
The bill would make a number of technical changes to charities law. The Law Commission published its report recommending changes to charities law in 2017. It said that uncertainties in the law and unnecessary regulation can disrupt charities’ activities, discourage participation and force charities to obtain expensive legal advice. It hoped its recommendations would simplify the regulation of charities, while still maintaining important safeguards for how they are run.
The Government welcomed the Law Commission’s report and accepted 36 out of the 43 recommendations. It agreed that, although the changes could seem highly technical, they would make it simpler and easier for charities to respond to opportunities to achieve their purposes. The rejected proposals included a review of the basis to challenge Charity Commission decisions and a proposal to abolish the requirement for charities to advertise proposed disposals of designated land.
The bill includes changes to simplify the law around:
Labour has indicated its support for the bill. The Law Commission also said that the Law Commission proposals had received support from the Charity Commission and the charity sector itself. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations has recently welcomed the bill, stating that it is a positive step to simplify the law.
This briefing was updated on 29 June 2021 to include the date it is scheduled to be considered in second reading committee in the House of Lords.
Charities Bill [HL]: Briefing for Lords Stages (311KB PDF)
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’.
Concerns about abuse and intimidation towards elected representatives have increased in recent years. The Jo Cox Civility Commission made a number of recommendations in a 2024 report to address this because of concerns that this activity would dissuade people from standing in elections and encourage existing representatives to stand down. The government has instigated a number of policies to tackle the abuse and intimidation of elected representatives.
