Charities Act 2011

The Charities Act 2011 (c. 25) is a UK act of Parliament. It consolidated the bulk of the Charities Act 2006, outstanding provisions of the Charities Act 1993, and various other enactments.^[1]

Charities Act 2011

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to consolidate the Charities Act 1993 and other enactments which relate to charities.
Citation	2011 c. 25
Introduced by	Mark Hoban MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Commons) Baroness Verma (Lords)
Territorial extent	England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
Dates
Royal assent	14 December 2011
Other legislation
Repeals/revokes	Recreational Charities Act 1958 Charities Act 1993 Charities (Amendment) Act 1995
Status: Amended
History of passage through Parliament
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Charities Act 2011 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

Repeals

Charities (Amendment) Act 1995
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to make provision for the treatment of two or more charities as a single charity for all or any of the purposes of the Charities Act 1993.
Citation	1995 c. 48
Dates
Royal assent	8 November 1995
Repealed	14 March 2012
Other legislation
Amends	Charities Act 1993
Repealed by	Charities Act 2011
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Charities Act 2011 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

Charities Act 1993
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to consolidate the Charitable Trustees Incorporation Act 1872 and, except for certain spent or transitional provisions, the Charities Act 1960 and Part I of the Charities Act 1992.
Citation	1993 c. 10
Dates
Royal assent	27 May 1993
Other legislation
Repeals/revokes	Charitable Trustees Incorporation Act 1872
Repealed by	Charities Act 2011
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Charities Act 1993 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

Charities Act 1992
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to amend the Charities Act 1960 and make other provision with respect to charities; to regulate fund-raising activities carried on in connection with charities and other institutions; to make fresh provision with respect to public charitable collections; and for connected purposes.
Citation	1992 c. 41
Dates
Royal assent	16 March 1992
Other legislation
Amends	Charities Act 1960
Repeals/revokes	Police, Factories, & c. (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1916 House to House Collections Act 1939 War Charities Act 1940 Charities Act 1985
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Charities Act 1992 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

Charities Act 1993 (Substitution of Sums) Order 1995
Statutory Instrument
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Citation	SI 1995/2696

Charities Act 2006 (Charitable Companies Audit and Group Accounts Provisions) Order 2008
Statutory Instrument
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Citation	SI 2008/527

Charities (Pre-consolidation Amendments) Order 2011
Statutory Instrument
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Citation	SI 2011/1396

Legislation repealed or revoked in its entirety by the Charities Act 2011 included

• Recreational Charities Act 1958 (6 & 7 Eliz. 2. c. 17),
• Charities Act 1993 (c. 10),
• Charities (Amendment) Act 1995 (c. 48),
• Charities Act 1993 (Substitution of Sums) Order 1995 (SI 1995/2696),
• Charities Act 2006 (Charitable Companies Audit and Group Accounts Provisions) Order 2008 (SI 2008/527), and
• Charities (Pre-consolidation Amendments) Order 2011 (SI 2011/1396).

Amendments were made to other legislation.^[2] It replaced most of the Charities Act 1992 (c. 41) and Charities Act 2006 (c. 50).^[3]

Independent examination

Section 145(1)(a) allowed for charities' financial accounts to be independently examined where a full audit is not required. An "independent examiner" is a person not connected to the charity who is "reasonably believed by the trustees to have the requisite ability and practical experience to carry out a competent examination of the accounts".^[4]

Social investment by charities

Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016
Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to amend the Charities Act 1992 and the Charities Act 2011.
Citation	2016 c. 4
Dates
Royal assent	16 March 2016
Other legislation
Amends	Charities Act 1992 Charities Act 2011
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

Additional provisions were added by the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016 (c. 4) granting a "general power" to charities to make "social investments", that is actions undertaken both to further the organisation's charitable aims and to make a financial surplus. In this context a charity's actions do not need to be financial "investments" as the term would generally be understood.^[5]

See also

• English trust law
• Charitable trusts in English law