Charities Bill set for introduction in next parliament as parties battle over Lottery funds.
The Labour Party has made a commitment to reintroduce the Charities Bill when parliament reconvenes after the general election. The announcement followed similar promises from the other main parties as all three launched their full election manifestos. The Charities Bill was one of several pieces of legislation to be axed due to pressures on parliamentary time in the days after the election was called. The news that the Bill looks likely to be saved has been welcomed by the sector. Andrew Hind, Chief Executive of the Charity Commission, said, ?A new Charities Bill is vital to allow the charity sector to maximise its huge potential? We warmly welcome commitment from all parties that they intend to make its re-introduction a priority.?
The announcement was contained in Labour?s full manifesto for the election, which clarifies its agenda for the arts should it win a third term in office. Most of the manifesto commitments, including funding for leadership programmes and the Creative Sparks initiative to help children access the arts, had already been set out in the Government?s five year plan for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) (see AP issue 95). The manifesto reiterates the impact the arts can have on society as a whole: ?Our progressive challenge is to broaden participation as widely as possible, making the links between sport and health, and culture and well-being. We must combine the broadest base of participation with the ability for the most talented to progress to the very top. Our third term will embed the expectation that every child and every adult have the maximum chance to develop their creative or sporting talents.?
The Labour manifesto also alleges that Conservative spending plans would lead to a cut of £207m to culture, arts and sport, a claim denounced by a Tory spokesman as ?complete rubbish?. Under Tory plans, National Lottery revenue would be divided equally between charities, arts, heritage and sport, potentially increasing arts funding overall. However, direct funding to the DCMS would be affected by cost-cutting measures. The Conservative criticisms of Labour?s use of Lottery funds have been echoed by the Liberal Democrats. Their manifesto offers to ?restore National Lottery funds? independence by ensuring that never again can Government dictate which schemes Lottery players? money is spent on and [require] the Department for Culture to clearly separate Government spending from Lottery spending in its annual reports.?
Other parties have also launched their election manifestos: Respect, the anti-Iraq war party, calls for a major increase in funding to the arts and free admission to all government-funded cultural events, while the Green Party, Veritas and the UK Independence Party make no mention of the arts in their manifestos. The Monster Raving Loony Party includes a commitment to reintroduce cheese rolling.