The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has set out its objectives and how it will deliver them. On heritage it states it will ‘Promote the historic environment so that people can appreciate and enjoy heritage assets’ including: Sponsor world heritage sites in the UK, using …
Law Commission to explore chancel repair liability
Chancel repair liability is one of 14 projects that the Law Commission will look at over the next three years. Liability for chancel repair is the liability of certain landowners to pay for repairs to a local church. Under the Land Registration Act 2002, such liability …
SPAB wins landmark court case
The case involved a harmful proposal to Grade I listed Holy Trinity, Poynings, Sussex. Challenging these works and winning at Consistory Court level means that the SPAB’s [Alliance member] practical and conservative approach to repairing old buildings has been added to church case law. The Society …
Government responses to Consultations on the Environmental Impact Assessment
The Government has published its responses to its consultations on Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) – a regulatory process that applies to projects that are likely to have an impact on the environment. In 2014, changes were agreed to the EIA Directive at European level that …
Bath plans tourist levy to support heritage, arts and culture
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 and support …
DCLG Planning Update newsletter – planning fee increase
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 to start …
Report on Cathedrals and their Communities
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 of …
Independent review to tackle barriers to building
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 by …
Charity annual return deadline imminent
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.
Charity Commission response to Select Committee on Charities report
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.
Review your charity’s safeguarding and governance arrangements, Charity Commission advises
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 clear that …
Charity Commission to change 2018 annual return
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 required to …