William Shawcross, chair of the Charity Commission, gave a speech at a public meeting of the Commission on 29 February 2016, praising the work of charities in general but calling on them to work together to improve public opinion of the sector.

He encouraged all charity trustees to revisit the guidance that the Commission had published regarding their responsibilities. He also announced that the Commission would be consulting on proposals to ask charities to contribute to their own regulator, clarifying that any moves must not hit small charities and that contributions would only be sought from larger charities.

His speech included a reference to the value of charity tax reliefs: “Charities benefit hugely from their status and public generosity. Not only through donations, but over £1 billion in Gift Aid and other tax breaks. This largesse cannot be taken for granted”.