The Regulator for Charities in England and Wales
Every year, charities with an income and/or expenditure of £10,000 and above are required to complete an Annual Return. The information that charities provide is prescribed by regulations made by the Commission.
In 2005 a more proportionate approach to the Return was introduced with less information being required of smaller charities. In September 2005 we launched an online service, enabling the online submission of Annual Return forms and transmission of accounts and reports.
For 2006 a few changes were made but the content remained broadly the same as the previous year.
Copies of previous years’ Annual Return forms can be viewed on our Annual Returns homepage.
The Annual Return currently in use has three parts:
Part A - information to maintain details recorded on the Register of Charities: completed by all charities
Part B - monitoring questions: only completed by charities with an income exceeding £250,000 in their previous financial year; and
Part C - the Summary Information Return (SIR): only completed by the largest charities with income exceeding £1,000,000 in their previous financial year.
The new Charities Act sets out a number of objectives for the Commission. The improvements to the collection and display of information about charities, which these proposals support, are designed to further the Commission’s objective of enhancing the accountability of charities to donors, beneficiaries and the general public.
Our Corporate Plan 2006-08 outlines our commitment to applying a proportionate approach to the information we require charities to submit. Among the outcomes to be achieved are:
Our proposals seek to address these commitments.
We would value feedback and welcome comments on our draft Annual Return 2007 forms and the key changes, particularly on the following points:
We would be grateful for all replies in writing or by e-mail, which should be sent to:
Sheila Birch
Charity Commission
12 Princes Dock
Princes Parade
Liverpool
L3 1DE
Email: Sheila Birch
Responses are requested by 19 March 2007.
Where appropriate we encourage you to provide evidence to support your response. If you are a representative group, it would be helpful if you could provide a summary with your response of the people and organisations that you represent.
Please note that responses, including the name and address of respondents, may be made public unless confidentiality is specifically requested.
We are keen to take account of the opinion of everyone who can help us develop our policy and guidance. However, we know that we don't always hear from those representing the black and minority ethnic sector who could make a contribution.
We are taking steps to make sure that everyone who wants to do so has the opportunity to contribute to our consultations, but we need some help. In order to monitor the responses to this consultation will you please complete and return the monitoring form.
It is not compulsory to complete this form but, if you do respond, we will ensure that it is detached from your consultation response on receipt and that the information remains confidential. Alternatively you can send this form separately to: Terry Wiles, Customer Services Manager, Charity Commission, Woodfield House, Tangier, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 4BL
We will consider the feedback we receive and use it to inform the final version of Annual Return forms for 2007. We plan to make our online service and paper forms available for completion from April 2007. The experience of charities in completing the Annual Return for 2007 will be used to inform any further development needed in the form for 2008 onwards.
See key changes page for details of the changes proposed for 2007.
A copy of this consultation document has been sent to a number of key sector umbrella bodies and other organisations and individuals who have expressed an interest in the subject. If you think there are other interested parties who should be consulted, please let us know.
If you have any further queries about this consultation, please contact:
Sheila Birch
Charity Commission
12 Princes Dock
Princes Parade
Liverpool
L3 1DE
Email
Telephone number: 0151 703 1591
or
Steven Henry
Charity Commission
12 Princes Dock
Princes Parade
Liverpool
L3 1DE
Email
Telephone number: 0151 703 1540
If you wish to discuss or comment specifically on the financial elements of the Return please contact:
Ken Brew
Charity Commission
12 Princes Dock
Princes Parade
Liverpool
L3 1DE
Email
Telephone number: 0151 703 1632
If you have queries about any other aspect of the Commission's work or would like to order any of our publications, please telephone Charity Commission Direct on 0845 300 0218.
This consultation has been designed to comply with the six consultation criteria in the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Consultation. We recognise that the nine week consultation period is slightly less than the recommended period. This reduced period takes account of the need for a publication deadline for AR07 which cannot be later than 31 March 2007. As consideration of the Annual Return is an annual event any comments received after the consultation has ended will be looked at in the context of the next review commencing later in 2007.
Respondents are invited to comment on the extent to which the consultation criteria have been adhered to and to suggest ways of further improving the consultation process. If respondents have comments or complaints about the consultation process they should contact:
Mark Pinfold
Charity Commission
12 Princes Dock
Princes Parade
Liverpool
L3 1DE
Email
Mark Pinfold Telephone: 0151 703 1680