In Guidelines for Laws affecting Civic Organisations (revised in 2004) - prepared for the Open Society Institute in cooperation with the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law - Leon Irish, Robert Kushen and Karla Simon note that "...laws should exist in all open societies to enshrine and protect the freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly for all citizens. At the same time, there must also be laws that protect the public from possible abuses by civic organizations. The regulatory burdens imposed on civic organizations must reflect a balancing of the rights of individuals to exercise their freedoms and the need for protection of the public." The Guidelines reflect the knowledge of many experienced professionals about the kinds of laws and administrative systems that are conducive to the creation and proper regulation of the civic sector.
In the UK, the Charity Commission's aim is to provide the best possible regulation of charities in England and Wales in order to increase charities’ effectiveness and public confidence and trust. The Commission values the benefit charities bring to society and recognises that the vast majority are legitimate. It's approach is characterised by a focus on encouraging charity self-regulation through the provision of advice and guidance. This allows it to focus resources on high risk areas and actively identify and address serious abuse of charities. The Commission has an open and transparent relationship with charities and works with, not against, them.
All UK government departments are charged with helping the Better Regulation Executive to make regulation less burdensome for example by reducing paperwork and time spent on requests for information. Although the Charity Commission is a non-Ministerial department, we are actively involved in this initiative. For more details go to the Better Regulation Executive website.