Catalogue description Charity Commission: General Division: Registered Files

This series contains General Division subject files, which were created from 1961 to deal with the organisation and management of the Charity Commission and matters affecting charities generally.

The arrival of CP Hill on secondment from the Home Office to the Charity Commission to pilot the 1960 Charities Bill brought with it a number of that department's records. These do not seem to have been returned, presumably because he subsequently became the Chief Charity Commissioner rather than returning to the Home Office. The files concerned were subsequently treated as Charity Commission files, being re-registered into this series, and accounting for the earlier opening dates of some pieces.

The files comprise a large amount of work undertaken by individual Commissioners. Internal minutes tagged to the front of the file jackets provide a commentary on the correspondence tagged in the back. The latter often entailed duplication from case files and Board proceedings, as well as original material unique to this series.

Policy was often made as it was recorded on these files and in the 1970s and 1980s used for staff information and leaflets to guide trustees. Issues were often discussed by formal minute between lawyers from first principles and these constantly referred back to in the discussion.

Specific subjects covered include legislation and regulations relating to charities and legislation promoted by other bodies, the jurisdiction, structure and management of the Charity Commission, charitable status and registration, trustee powers and duties, protection of charitable property and authorisation of charities' disposal of interest in land, the promotion of effective use of charitable resources, inquiries and investigations by the Charity Commission and points of law or policy.

Charity Commission, General Division, 1961-

From 1999 Charity Commission