Charity Commission
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Charity Commission reports on a year when charities took centre stage - Annual Report published
Debate about charities and the role that they play in society has been wider and more intense than ever this year, says the Charity Commission in its annual report published today.
The report by the regulator for the 190,000 charities registered in England and Wales explains how the Commission has performed against a range of indicators, and looks at the impact of its work on both the charity sector and wider public in the last year.
Key highlights of the Commission's year include:
* The successful passage of the Charities Act 2006 and implementation of the first tranche of provisions to modernise charity regulation
* Outlining our approach to the public benefit requirement and launching a debate on the benefit charities bring to the public
* Setting out ambitious plans to reduce the administrative burden on charities by at least 25% by 2010
* Maintaining an accurate picture of the charity sector, with 5,081 new charities registered and 4,576 removed from the register
* Providing over 22,000 individual cases of advice and guidance to charities
* Performing against challenging targets - the Commission met 5 out of 6 key performance indicators
Other events and outcomes highlighted include our programme to raise standards by endorsing charities' quality standards; ground-breaking research into charities delivering public services; developing work with Welsh local authorities and effective management of resources in a challenging climate.
The Commission's Chair, Dame Suzi Leather, said:
"The past year has seen the role of charities move up the political agenda, and remain central to public debate. Our annual report shows how a streamlined and more expert Commission has performed strongly in this year of change and the impact our work has had on both charities and public perception.
From a renewed emphasis on bringing benefit to the public and enhancing their accountability, to campaigning for change, the priorities of charities and wider society grow increasingly close. Our report shows how our work helps charities deliver effectively against this backdrop."
Ends
Notes to editors:
1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator for charitable activity in England and Wales See http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk for more information.
2. At the end of March 2007, there were 190,477 registered charities in England and Wales, with a combined income of over £40 billion, over 600,000 paid staff and nearly 925,000 voluntary trustee positions.
3. The Commission's annual report was laid before Parliament at 11:00 am today.
For further information please contact: Sush Amar on 020 7674 2462
