Do you have a solid volunteer programme in place? Here’s some advice from DSC Trainer Cathy Shimmin on how to keep your volunteers inspired and engaged. Take a look here.
A new power that makes it easier for unincorporated charities to change their governing document, as well as new rules for gifts left to merged charities are the latest changes introduced by the Charities Act 2022. Learn more here.
Latest survey from the Charity Commission reveals widespread scale and impact of ongoing banking issues facing the sector. Take a look here.
The Spring Budget was announced at the beginning of March. Below are some of the main highlights:
The Chancellor made further changes to National Insurance Contributions (NICs) following the cuts made in the Autumn Statement 2023. The rates for NICs will be cut by two percentage points for both employees and the self-employed from 6 April 2024.
This will see Class 1 employee NICs reduced from 10% to 8% from 6 April 2024, down from 12% at the end of last year. Meanwhile, Class 4 self-employed NICs are cut from 9% to 6% from 6 April 2024.
A few of the measures will benefit households that are struggling financially.
- The Household Support Fund will be extended until September.
- People receiving Universal Credit will now have twice as long to repay loans. The £90 fee for debt relief orders will also be scrapped.
- The threshold for child benefit will be increased. This will provide more resource and security for an estimated 170,000 families.
Announcements that are likely to benefit voluntary organisations include the following.
- The VAT registration threshold will increase from £85,000 to £90,000.
- £5m new investment in the Platinum Jubilee Village Halls Fund.
- Funding for community cultural projects and the National Theatre.
- Investment in early career researchers in medical charities.
However, disappointingly, the government has missed a critical opportunity to recognise the role the voluntary sector plays in our society, and back this up with spending and policy commitments.
The government has also refused to commit to an ‘essentials guarantee’ to support people receiving benefits. This guarantee would ensure universal credit covers essentials like food, household bills, and travel costs.
We’re relieved to hear planned funding for central government departments won’t be cut. However, this funding is still not enough to fund public services that meet communities’ needs. Local government finances are also under unprecedented pressure. Today’s announcements do nothing to address this.
Source: NCVO.org.uk
What is same day access?
NHS North West London is introducing an ambitious but achievable plan to improve same day access to primary care for patients.
This approach was co-developed by 10 primary care networks (PCNs -6 individual PCNs and 1 whole borough) between August and December 2023. The approach is aligned to the recommendations set out in the national ‘Fuller Stocktake’ review of primary care.
The new approach sees the introduction of ‘same day access hubs’ across North West London. Patients contacting their GP surgery either online or by telephone may be directed to the same day access hub for triage to the right service for their needs. This is an approach that will evolve over time but ultimately, patients may have telephone, online, video or face to face contact with staff at the hub, who will direct them to the right place. This could be a community pharmacy, a routine appointment with their GP or an urgent appointment with their GP. Where appointments are not available with their own GP or the patient will get easier access, they may be directed to a neighbouring practice.
Hubs can be either physical or virtual and will usually be managed through the local PCNs, with each hub including a senior GP. All clinical decisions will have a senior clinical decision making and GP lead, with support from a multi-disciplinary team.
This approach ensures patients needing primary care services that day are more likely to be looked after in the quickest way. The plan is for this to apply to same day cases only.
Primary care access is the issue most consistently raised by North West London residents we speak to about health services. We have launched a public information campaign called We Are General Practice in order to explain how primary care is changing, the challenges it faces and some of the new roles and proposed solutions to improve access and care for patients. Read on
As some charities have experienced difficulties with the new system, the Charity Commission has published additional guidance for charity contacts and charity trustees on how to access and use ‘My Charity Commission’ on behalf of a charity. There is also new and revised guidance: Setting up ‘My Charity Commission Account’.
HM Revenue and Customs has updated its guidance for charities to confirm that donations of cryptoassets are not eligible for Gift Aid. This is because HMRC does not consider cryptoassets to be currency and Gift Aid applies only to gifts taking the form of a sum of money. The guidance advises that where a donor holding cryptoassets wishes to benefit from Gift Aid they must convert those cryptoassets into money and make a cash donation under the Gift Aid scheme.
‘The Charity Commission has appointed David Holdsworth as its next chief executive. He will take over as chief executive of the regulator from Helen Stephenson, whose term comes to an end this summer…’ Read more here.
DSC’s Research Kalli Jayasuriya explains everything you need to know about the Civil Society Groups latest report – Dismantling Racism. Take a look here.
After surveying 653 charities, The Charity Aid Foundation has discovered that charities are being forced to create waiting lists, charge fees and turn people away due to demand. Find out more here.
sobus
20 Dawes Road, London, SW6 7EN
Telephone 020 7952 1230
Email info@sobus.org.uk
Registered Charity No.1071089
and Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England No.03471416
Sobus is a new Community Development Agency for Hammersmith & Fulham. It has been created through the merger of the Community and Voluntary Sector Association Hammersmith & Fulham (CaVSA) and the Fulham Community Partnership Trust (FCPT). Building on the strengths of both organisations, sobus aims to provide a wider range of support services for local charities, community groups, social enterprises and start up businesses.