Lords Select Committee on Charities calls for evidence

The Committee has been set up to investigate the sustainability of the charity sector, and the challenges of charity governance, and has now launched its Call for Evidence.

Areas that the Committee are asking for submissions about, and will explore throughout the inquiry include:

• the main pressures currently faced by charities, and the impact these pressures have;
• the skills required to lead and manage a charity;
• the role trustees should play in the performance and effectiveness of a charity;
• the role of national and local Government with the charitable sector;
• the role of the Charity Commission;
• charities' accountability to their beneficiaries, their donors, and the general public;
• effective delivery of services;
• current challenges to the financial sustainability of charities; and
• innovation particularly in the digital arena.

Baroness Pitkeathley, Chair of the Committee, said:

“The charitable sector in England and Wales has a long and proud history of contributing to British society. Recent years have seen an unprecedented period of change to the environment in which the sector is operating. High profile instances of mismanagement in a minority of charities have also placed the sector under immense scrutiny.

“We are looking to understand the pressures faced across the sector and the opportunities that exist for charities of all sizes. We will make recommendations to the UK Government, and to others, which we hope help ease these pressures and support these opportunities and to make sure that the charitable sector in England and Wales is sustainable for many years to come.

“We consider sustainability, that is to say charities having the appropriate resources to meet their charitable purposes, as a key theme in our investigation.

“This inquiry is intended to be an opportunity for Parliament to engage positively with charities and the voluntary sector. As part of our evidence gathering we hope to see examples of best practice, innovation and ideas which bring the sector together, ensuring that it can thrive in the long-term. If you work with charities, use a charity or have information you think the Committee would find valuable in its inquiry, please look at our Call for Evidence, and submit something to us.”