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Six consultations and a heads-up

Finance | 24 Aug 2009

It’s consultation fever in the voluntary sector this summer, with at least six already under way and another expected to launch soon.

The consultation on charity leaders’ expenses, sparked by the debate on Charity Finance blogs about whether they should disclose their expenses publicly, launched on 27 July and closes on 30 October. There is an online survey you can access through http://tinyurl.com/nxl5me

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is consulting on how private and voluntary sector employers with at least 250 staff can measure and report on their gender pay gap. According to Commission research, full-time female staff earn 17 per cent less per hour on average than men, with the gap failing to improve in the past three years. This is borne out in Charity Finance’s own chief executives’ survey, which shows that female CEOs in the biggest 100 charities earn significantly less than their male counterparts. The Commission believes that developing ways for employers to measure and report on their gender pay gap will help to reduce pay inequity by providing greater transparency.  The consultation document is available on request from the EHRC at www.equalityhumanrights.com

Another consultation is on the government’s proposals for a Social Investment Wholesale Bank. This launched on 15 July and lasts 12 weeks, until 7 October. Take part at www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector.aspx. And see the first part of our in-depth analysis of the issues.

The Charity Commission has begun a consultation on the proposed transfer of the regulation of Common Investment Funds and Common Deposit Funds from the Commission to the Financial Services Authority. Respond at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/consult_liveindex.htm

The Commission for the Compact, Compact Voice and the Office of the Third Sector are seeking views on the proposed new national Compact. It runs from 20 July until 12 October. See www.thecompact.org.uk

And the steering group on the sector’s Code of Good Governance has opened a three-month consultation on the Code’s key principles.  It wants to make the code more accessible and applicable to the sector. See http://tinyurl.com/laxf6f by

Another consultation, described by Charity Commission policy accountant Ray Jones as “the most important consultation on sector accounting and reporting since the 1993 Charities Act, is expected to begin soon. To be launched by the Accounting Standards Board, it will seek views on how UK accounting standards should converge with international ones.  Jones believes it could lead to a not-for-profit accounting standard based directly on international standards.

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