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24 September 2021 / Helen Stephenson
Issue: 7949 / Categories: Features , Profession , Charities
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Charity sector proved its value during the pandemic

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Helen Stephenson sets out the Charity Commission’s priorities & plans
  • The Charity Commission has set out its key priorities for the coming year— helping charities deliver as we emerge from the pandemic; IT and data; regulation; and people.

There is much yet to learn about the impact of the pandemic on the charity sector—on charities’ finances, their ways of working, and on the wider economic and social context in which they operate. But the unequivocal lesson of the past year is that a resilient, vibrant voluntary sector is integral to the healthy functioning of our society. Indeed, Charity Commission research published in July, Public Trust in Charities 2021, suggests that a decade-long decline in people’s perception of charities’ importance in society is beginning to reverse, possibly because of what we have witnessed during the pandemic.

Commission achievements

I am proud that our Contact Centre was able to provide uninterrupted service throughout the pandemic, answering calls every working day throughout the crisis to help charities and trustees access

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

Cripps—Radius Law

Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

Switalskis—Grimsby

Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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