Advisory group on campaigning and the voluntary sector
Let NGOs campaign freely.
May 2007
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'Campaigning and the voluntary sector' report (382 KB)
'Campaigning and the voluntary sector' report (287 KB)
Parliamentary briefing (85.8 KB)
Parliamentary briefing (33 KB)
Background
A new report by the Advisory Group on Campaigning and the Charity Sector argues that several areas of law and regulation should be relaxed to allow NGOs and other voluntary sector organisations campaign more freely. Chaired by Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, the group includes the BOND secretariat and BOND members Anti-Slavery International, One World Trust, Oxfam and People & Planet.
Campaigning is an integral part of charity and functioning civil society, the group's report argues. It makes recommendations in three areas:
Political purposes
Charity trustees should be free to decide to engage exclusively in political campaigning in furtherance of their charitable purposes. A charity should not have limits placed on the resources that can be committed to political campaigning activities. Although the Charities Act 2006 relaxed the law in this area considerably, the law is still interpreted conservatively, and campaigning for a change in the law must remain 'ancillary' to a charity's long-term activities. Organisations campaigning for human rights have found this a barrier to obtaining charitable status.
Protest Law
The report calls for a range of changes, including, the new Public Demonstrations (Repeals) Bill which calls for the repeal of those parts of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 that impose disproportionate restrictions on protest and demonstrations, in particular the provisions prohibiting unauthorised demonstrations in the vicinity of Parliament.
Broadcast Law
A new regulatory framework should replace those aspects of the Communications Act that prevent NGOs from using advertising in their campaigning. An Amnesty International radio advert about Rwanda was banned under the current regime because Amnesty is categorised by the Act as political. MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY's "One Click" campaign was also excluded from television and radio.