Government policy and funding round-up: March 2024
An update on our influencing work, government policy and funding announcements.
To stay up to date with what’s happening in parliament and how it might impact charities, see our regular inside track round-up.
AI in the charity sector
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Charities and Volunteering recently met to discuss the developing role of AI and other emerging technologies in the sector.
Speakers shared different perspectives on how AI could change the way charities deliver work. Nesta spoke about their work on the Civic AI Observatory. The Observatory is a new initiative that supports civil society organisations to plan and adapt for AI.
Everyone at the meeting agreed there needs to be more collaboration across the sector. We need to work together to make sure AI is developed and used responsibly.
You can download the minutes from the meeting below.
Charity membership subscriptions
The digital markets, competition and consumers bill will start its report stage in the House of Lords on 11 March. The government has tabled amendments which would give them powers to address concerns about the bill’s potential impact on Gift Aid claims.
They have committed to using these powers to make sure charities will still be able to claim Gift Aid on membership subscriptions.
We welcome that the government has listened to charities and committed to fixing the issue. But we're still concerned about the lack of clarity on how the new measures will be applied.
Political campaigning guidance
We’ve partnered with ACEVO to develop new guidance on political campaigning ahead of a general election.
We want charities to understand the rules so they can feel confident in campaigning and influencing the policy agenda.
Join our free campaigning with confidence webinar on 19 March.
The Electoral Commission and Charity Commission are also hosting a joint webinar on key campaigning guidance on 11 March. They’ll share top tips to help charities stay within the rules.
Martyn’s Law consultation
The Home Office is consulting on the terrorism (protection of premises) bill, also known as Martyn’s Law.
The consultation focuses on businesses, groups and organisations that own or operate public spaces or events with a capacity between 100 and 799 people. The bill would introduce new rules for preparing and responding to potential terrorist attacks.
We’ll be responding to the consultation in partnership with the UK Volunteering Forum and other organisations.
If you’d like to share evidence or insights to inform our submission, please get in touch at policy@ncvo.org.uk.
The consultation closes on 18 March.
