Many PCC secretaries and members will be aware that April 2021 was set as the date when PCCs with annual income below £100k would have to start registering with the Charity Commission. This dates back to when the blanket exemption of churches from registration was abolished.
Following a recent consultation, the relevant government department (DCMS) has announced that it intends to lay a Statutory Instrument before parliament in early 2021 which if passed will extend the current exception for PCCs with annual income below £100k by another ten years. They say that this will give currently excepted charities time to prepare for registration and allow the Charity Commission as much time as possible to register all excepted organisations in a coordinated way.
The national church offices understand that DCMS and the Charity Commission are working on a plan to phase more organisations onto the register in a manageable way over the extension period and plan to share further details in early 2021.