Advocacy & campaigning

Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered the first Labour budget in nearly 15 years under the theme: ‘Fixing the foundations to deliver change.’ (All the budget documents are available on gov.uk)

Along with some welcome measures contained in the budget, the combined impact of the increase in employers’ national insurance contributions, reduction of the threshold at which employers need to pay and the (albeit welcome) increase in the national living wage is a cause for concern for many civil society leaders.

ACEVO CEO Jane Ide made a statement on the budget announcement and reiterated that if civil society is to partner with government in delivering the decade of national renewal, as the Prime Minister invited us to, it is important that civil society is strong and able to play its part.

Jointly with our friends at NCVO, we are sharing an open letter to the Chancellor asking for a commitment to reimbursing voluntary organisations’ increased employer NICs, in parity with the commitment made for the public sector.

ACEVO and NCVO are working closely with DCMS to develop a framework for a Civil Society Covenant to reset the relationship between civil society and government to create lasting, positive change. This was an ask in our voluntary sector manifesto, at that point referred to as a ‘charter’, and builds upon earlier initiatives such as the Compact. We need your input.

Read more and give us your views 

The general election took place on 4 July 2024. The voluntary sector manifesto has been shaped by ACEVO and NCVO’s members, through consultation and engagement over 12 months. 

Read the manifesto.

There is no doubt that charities and their leaders can campaign and undertake political activity within legal regulations and in line with charitable objectives.

Read the briefing that ACEVO has produced in collaboration with NCVO.

• The Electoral Commission Non-Party Campaigner Code is now in effect. Electoral law requires charities to register as non-party campaigners (NPCs) if they spend over a certain amount on regulated campaign activities in the 12 months leading up to the next election. The law also requires an imprint to be included on digital material that falls within the definition of regulated campaign activities. The Charity Commission and the Electoral Commission issued a joint blog for charities engaging in public debate, which highlights that the law is clear about the right of charities to campaign.
• The election has been called for the 4 July 2024. We have published a joint briefing with NCVO offering some guidance. Do note it should not be taken as legal advice. We have also published a manifesto, shaped by ACEVO and NCVO’s members, through consultation and engagement over the past 12 months.

In August 2023, we published a statement about the then Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s comments following Care4Calais inquiry. We reiterated what is laid out clearly within regulation – campaigning and political activity can be “legitimate and valuable activities for charities to undertake” and it is a legal requirement that political campaigning or political activity must be undertaken by a charity only in the context of supporting the delivery of its charitable purposes.

In September 2023, we published a joint statement to the editor of The Telegraph once again highlighting that campaigning and political activity are legitimate and robust public discourse is a marker of a healthy, effective and vibrant body politic.