Here’s just a handful of stories that you could have read first and for free on civilsociety.co.uk:
| Benevolent funds tribunal case is 'ill-judged and misguided' says umbrella bodyThe Association of Charitable Organisations (ACO) has criticised the Charity Commission for forcing its members to waste time and money on the Charity Tribunal case being heard in London this week. |
 | Legacy income down for ‘foreseeable future’ says reportThe value of legacies has dropped slightly over the last year, and with the economy looking set for more turbulence, observers are expecting the downward trend to continue for years. |
 | Large charities reach new voluntary income heightsThree of the UK’s biggest charities managed to grow their voluntary income by at least 33 per cent last year, with one, the British Red Cross, increasing donations by 58 per cent. |
 | EU Parliament wants EU contracts to consider social and environmental valueThe EU Parliament has said that EU rules on public procurement contracts should be reformed to enable authorities to award contracts not just to the lowest bidder, but to the most innovative, or to those offering the greatest environmental or social benefits. |
 | Charity Rhythmix left with steep legal bills after X Factor battleMusic charity Rhythmix has said the X Factor has left it with ‘considerable’ legal bills, following a battle with the programme over an X Factor band who tried to trademark the charity’s name. |
 | New investment guidance 'should stimulate social investment'The Charity Commission has finally published its new investment guidance, CC14, and it makes clear that programme-related investment and ‘mixed-motive investment’ are both perfectly legitimate models for charities to consider. |
 | Trustee of St Paul's asks Occupy protestors to leaveThe Right Reverend Graeme Knowles, a trustee of the St Paul’s Cathedral Foundation, has asked the Occupy the London Stock Exchange protestors, who have been camping outside the cathedral for the past 16 days, to “withdraw peacefully”. |
 | Government seeks to remove 'social enterprise' from social value BillGovernment wants to remove the term 'social enterprise' from the Public Services (Social Enterprise and Social Value) Bill, which has its third reading in the House of Commons tomorrow. |
 | Commission to scrap regulatory compliance casesThe Charity Commission is to stop carrying out regulatory compliance investigations, the type of inquiry it conducted into the charity operated by Liam Fox MP and his friend Adam Werritty last year. |
 | Charity Commission expects all charities to join an umbrella bodyThe Charity Commission will expect all charities to become part of a voluntary sector umbrella body, and has mooted highlighting on the Commission website the memberships that charities hold. |
 | President of NCVO says payment of trustees is inevitablePayment of trustees is coming whether we like it or not, according to president of NCVO, Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbott. |
