The Charity Governance Code steering group has launched a public consultation to refresh and reshape the Code.

The consultation is open to charities across England and Wales and invites feedback on the Code from both users and non-users. The consultation survey will be open until 11 August 2024.

The Charity Governance Code is a practical tool to help charities and their trustees develop high standards of governance. The Code is not a legal or regulatory requirement. It draws upon,
but is fundamentally different to, the Charity Commission’s guidance.

The Code sets the principles and recommended practice for good governance and is deliberately aspirational: some elements of the Code will be a stretch for many charities to achieve. This is intentional: the Code is designed to be a tool for continuous improvement towards the highest standards of governance.

Charity Governance Code steering group chair, Radojka Miljevic, said: “This consultation is an important opportunity for us to hear from the sector about the Code’s content, structure, relevance to different sizes of charity, and accessibility. As a vital tool for assessing good practice in governance, we want to make sure that the Code reflects the context charities are working in and that it can be used practically by organisations of all sizes”.

This Code has been developed by a steering group, made up of ACEVO: Charity Leaders Network, Association of Chairs, The Chartered Governance Institute, NCVO: National Council for Voluntary Organisations and WCVA (Wales Council for Voluntary Action), along with the help of over 200 charities, individuals and related organisations.

The Code was last reviewed in 2020.

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