Wrong way for Charity Commission.

The Charity Commission's new consultation, released last week, includes a proposal from MPs that will increase the administrative burden on charities and increase what many think is over-regulation in our sector.

In September the Government accepted "in principle" a recommendation from the Public Administration Select Committee that charities' annual returns to the Commission should state how much they spend on campaigning. It said it would first ask charities to take the initiative themselves in being more transparent about their political activities, and then explore with the Commission the possibility for extra information "to be captured and disclosed in a proportionate way through existing processes."

But now the Charity Commission – with its announcement this week of the proposal, subject to consultation, that charities should indeed from next year have to say in their returns how much they spend on campaigning (and how much they receive from government sources) – has ignored this and gone ahead with a blunderbuss approach. What happened to the "first step" and the use of existing processes? Clearly the Commission are not interested in that.

The Commission is pushing ahead with the Select Committee’s recommendation more forcefully than the Cabinet Office envisaged or is desirable.

Looking at the Public Administration Select Committee’s minutes it is clear this recommendation may have stemmed more from the opinions of some of its own members than from the evidence presented to it by witnesses. It goes further even than Christopher Snowdon of the Institute of Economic Affairs, hardly the greatest supporter of charity campaigning. He concedes that it is ‘fairly arbitrary’ to distinguish campaigning from other charity activities.

The Committee’s report also seems to confuse ‘campaigning’ and ‘political and communications work’, which suggests that they treat the terms as interchangeable.

Let's be very clear as a sector about what is going on here. There is a clear element in the Commission who believe that we need to 'stick to the knitting'. The fact that the campaigning and advocacy work of charities is inextricably linked to our work at the front line appears to escape them. To take one obvious example, look at RNIB's fantastic work for almost 150 years, both supplying a wide range of services for people with sight loss and agitating for numerous government policies to make their lives better. It is illogical and unnecessary to separate the two functions.

And what is worse is that this intervention into a political debate detracts from the work the Commission should be doing on sector regulation. With Paula Sussex starting as their new Chief Executive next week they have an excellent opportunity for new energy in pursuing this goal.

But for now, perhaps the Commission themselves should stick to the knitting, and avoid clamping down on the historic role and duty of charities to speak truth to power.

Bad food and MPs...

Well done to Michael Gove MP for the new guidelines on food in schools, cutting out fries and sugary drinks. High time too, as obesity among kids soars and the rise in cases of diabetes and pre-diabetes is increasing significantly. And what may you ask is our health service doing about it? 

Well, in hospitals, sweet nothing as they say. Walk into most hospitals and the tempting offers on chocs and coke from vending machines and cafes are all around. Why, Guys hospital even has a McDonalds on the premises. And at Tommies you walk in past an array of retail outlets piled to the gunwales with unhealthy food options. It's time hospitals got on message. I realise they are turning a fast buck on these outlets but I thought they were about improving our health! Could Jeremy Hunt take a leaf out of Michael Gove's book on this? And let's face it. Most elderly people in hospital for a long period emerge malnourished - Age UK has run their excellent campaign against malnutrition in hospitals for almost 10 years now. Hospitals just don't get good food, let alone healthy food. End of rant. 

We had a Social Investment Business reception at the House of Commons this week (more sticky buns on offer there; I said no!). We were introducing some of our investees to MPs and we had a good cross-section of Members from all parties, as well as Ministers and their Shadows. Nick Hurd MP gave a great speech and emphasised the point I had made about how social finance is one of those subjects where you do find cross-party consensus. The Big Society Capital started off as a Labour idea, but was taken up enthusiastically by the Conservatives, and David Cameron is a great advocate of social investment. And Minister for Civil Society Nick Hurd has been a great champion for our sector. He has a lovely approach to the role which combines an oft laconic style with wit and passion for the sector. He even went so far as to describe me as ‘an institution’. Obviously kind comments by him about me simply reinforce my view he is a perceptive chap.

The event was sponsored by Crispin Blunt MP, a former Prisons Minister and a non-exec on my Social Investment Business Board. His comments on a range of issues make great common sense, as I told him, now that he has been freed from the cares of office! But the fun of this event was in meeting the many charities and social enterprises that have taken loans to promote their ambitions. 

SIB has made over £350m worth of social investment to over 1000 organisations. This makes us the UK's largest social investor. I'm chuffed to be their Chair. And in the spirit of keeping fit I can report I spent an hour in the Brixton gym last night. Needed to after that rather splendid dinner at the Cass Business School on Wednesday.

That was the week that was!

And a full on week it was. Ranging from a garden Party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Red Cross's 150 years to a stout defence of Oxfam's right to campaign

Its June so the sector "season" is in full swing. It was the Saxton Bampfylde annual reception at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the great and the good (and less so) of the sector were in fine fettle surrounded by the finest sculptures of the renaissance. Good to bump into old pal and former ACEVO Director Ralph Michell and we, probably unwisely, continued the celebrations afterwards. However I had also been to the Brompton Oratory for Latin Mass beforehand, so can be forgiven.

Thursday was the annual Civil Society Charity Awards; always a great time to catch up with colleague CEOs. Much talk of the attack on Oxfam and a particularly viscous piece in the Mail by Col Max Hastings fulminating about charity campaigning. A rather useful reminder that we are getting things right.  And letters in the Times today from me and from others demonstrate our sector is firm in defence of our right to campaign.

And mentioning the Palace Garden Party, it was nice to see in the Birthday Honours a particular Honour for my youngest ACEVO member Gary Buxton.

My ACEVO Director Jenny Berry tells me she was with Gary Buxton - CEO of Young Advisors (he founded it) Friday evening - on a friend's canal barge for drinks. Then at midnight he announced he'd been awarded an MBE, he was excited as you would expect- as was his partner.

Gary also thanked Jenny for ACEVO’s support and help over the past few years. He joined ACEVO the week we started in the north and has been active with us ever since.

One of his senior team, Ed Moss, who is also an ACEVO Associate member (and again one of our youngest members) was awarded an ACEVO Fellowship last year as an outstanding emerging leader.

Great organisation, great leaders and one to watch.

And finally, the roses are in full swing in Charlbury. Here is a picture from my cottage.

The Queen and I.

Well, such is the power of modern communications I was able to watch the Gracious Speech on my iPad!  It seems the most interesting part of it all was the page boy fainting and the horse bolting. A lacklustre set of bills, of which only two are of direct importance to the third sector.

ACEVO has welcomed the potential of the new Charity Commission powers Bill, but we must be careful about the details. Many of us puzzle over the behaviour of the Commission. Often over legalistic and inconsistent decisions, which seem odd on common sense grounds. Many of us wonder why certain complaints get taken up whilst others are ignored. Recently there have been a raft of investigations into Muslim charities. Whilst I clearly don't know the details, I do worry that the perception may grow that the Commission has fallen prey to the current government paranoia on 'Trojan schools'. The last thing we need is the perception amongst the Muslim community that the Commission is taking an anti-Islamic stance, when they often fail to investigate similar allegations with other charities. As with the whole of society, we need active volunteers and trustees from the Muslim community. We must ensure they are encouraged, not discouraged from actively volunteering. And if people wish to have Muslim-led charities that work in Muslim communities, we should welcome and support them just as we would those from any other faith. We must not instinctively think it suspicious, or give that impression.

We also need a clear understanding of when and why the Charity Commission take up cases, and whether they have effective methods for whistleblowing.

I was very disturbed at the decision on the Human Dignity Trust, which fights in the courts to end discrimination against homosexuals in other countries. This could not possibly be for the public benefit, the Commission has ruled, because changing these laws is contrary to public policy and could prejudice our relations with states that put gay men in jail. For these reasons, the Commission has denied the Human Dignity Trust registration as a charity, a decision that will be challenged in court today I'm glad to say. What a perverse ruling. It risks adding to the impression of a reactionary Commission, which is unhelpful both to them and to the sector.

We all want an effective regulator. We need them to have strong powers. But we also need to ensure their resources are wisely used and carefully targeted. So ACEVO and our members will work with the Cabinet Office on the new Bill provisions, to ensure just that.

It is often said that our sector is over-regulated. Let's ensure that we combine light-touch regulation with effective oversight and, most importantly, that we do not allow the Commission to forget that a part of its role is to build trust and confidence in our sector. That, after all, is a large part of what effective regulation will achieve.

And so, that's enough of the Queen. I have moved from Hall to Castle! From Union Hall to Castle Townshend to be precise. And we are staying at the Castle:

The Castle.

Castle Townshend

The castle.

My Great Grandfather x 5, the Rev. Thomas Somerville, was brought by his father to Ireland in 1690. His father was the Rector of Leswalt in Co. Galloway, in SW Scotland. They were fleeing persecution as the Rev. William had been deposed from his living for being an Episcopalian, still praying for the Jacobites. He fled with his young family (his son Thomas was only one) in an open boat to Ulster, together with one Rev. James Cameron (no relation I'm sure!) and his family. 

Anyway the Rev. Thomas became a successful clergyman for Castle Townshend and Union Hall, and his son Thomas II built the magical house, Drishane, which you see here. The Somervilles still live here and we popped in to see distant cousin Tom Somerville the 8th.

At Drishane

 

At Drishane

Tom’s great aunt was the magnificent Edith Somerville, the author and painter.

Castlehaven

 I shan’t mention the evening of dancing and singing with a number of cousins in Skibereen on Wednesday night, and certainly no photos of that! Needless to say it was all very Irish.