‘Minister right to protect voluntary trusteeship’ says Davis Smith

Tuesday, 04 December 2012

Volunteering England has today welcomed moves to safeguard the principle that charity trustees should be volunteers. In his response to Lord Hodgson’s Review of the Charities Act 2006, Civil Society Minister Nick Hurd has said that he will not implement the recommendation that large charities can automatically remunerate their trustees without Charity Commission permission.

Dr Justin Davis Smith CBE, chief executive of Volunteering England said:

“Giving your time voluntarily is a central principle of charity trusteeship and I am pleased that this will be protected. The public look to trustees to make fair, impartial decisions that best serve the needs of their beneficiaries. This significant trust placed in charity boards rests on trustees being exclusively focused on delivering the mission and values of the organisation. The voluntary nature of trusteeship helps ensure this.”

Volunteering England supported an open letter in July, joining with other leading voluntary organisations in calling for voluntary trusteeship to be protected. Evidence collected for Lord Hodgson’s Review demonstrates public support for this stance, with 61% of those surveyed responding that trustees shouldn’t be remunerated.