In his keynote speech to the Charity Law Association annual conference, Lord Hodgson said he expected the government's response to his report on the operation of the Act by Christmas.
The Public Administration Select Committee launched its own inquiry in July and is in the process of taking oral evidence and will produce its own report on the operation of the Act. Chris Priestley – a partner in Withers' Charities team – chaired the Charity Law Association's working party which prepared a detailed response to the consultation.
Lord Hodgson also questioned the number of 'moribund' charities in the UK in an address to a conference held on 8 November.
He said he viewed charitable status as a privilege not a right and that when charities come to the end of their lifecycle they should recycle their assets to new purposes. Lord Hodgson also touched on the issue when speaking about trusteeship and said trustees of such charities should consider how to attract younger trustees.
The Charity Commission has already published guidance on this point, which was covered in the last Withers e-alert here.
The Commission has also recently published survey research which support Lord Hodgson's view, showing that charities rely on informal networks to recruit trustees and rarely advertise positions.
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