Bath is considering a bed tax for the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The council’s Operation Plan – a £1 nightly surcharge per room –would generate around £2.4m a year, which would be reinvested into the local area to help maintain more than 5,000 listed assets …

The Planning Directorate has published its newsletter on the Government’s programme of planning reform. The update includes mention of the Regulations to introduce the 20% increase in planning fees which were made on 20th December 2017. These mean that local planning authorities will be able …

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has published (December 2017) Cathedrals and their communities: a report on the diverse roles of cathedrals in modern England. It summarises the findings from the tour of all 42 Church of England cathedrals undertaken by Lord Bourne …

A panel of experts to review the gap between number of planning permissions being granted and those built in areas of high demand has been appointed. Phase 1 of the review – currently underway – will seek to identify the main causes of the gap …

If your charity’s financial year ends on 31 March 2017 you must submit a return by 31 January 2018, no later than 10 months after the end of their financial year.

The Charity Commission for England and Wales has published its response to the report by the Select Committee on Charities which sets out recommendations for changes for the charity sector including a time limit for serving as a trustee.

The Charities Commission has issued an alert to remind charities that, if something goes wrong in a charity, trustees are accountable and responsible for putting things right. Trustees should therefore assure themselves that their safeguarding practices are robust. The Commission’s recently revised safeguarding strategy makes …

The Charity Commission has amended the content of the annual return for 2018 after consultation with charities. It says the new annual return will make for an easier user experience for charities that it will be more proportionate than in the past, with many charities …

DCMS Secretary of State Matt Hancock noted in his speech that the DCMS ‘review of civil society in the UK, with the objective of publishing a government strategy later this year. We both see this as a major opportunity to set a new direction for …

DHCLG stated in its response that the ‘Call for Evidence has highlighted a number of concerns about the impact of basement developments in certain areas. It has also provided examples of existing and emerging good practice by local authorities in using the existing tools available …

The Department of Communities and Local Government has been renamed the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Sajid Javid MP, now the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, said: ‘The name change for the department reflects this government’s renewed focus to …

The Charity Tax group has summarised the EU’s proposed changes to VAT. In addition to keeping a standard VAT rate of minimum 15% the European Commission has proposed that Member States be now able to put in place: two separate reduced rates of between 5% …