Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme: update

The DCMS has published guidance for the change in arrangements for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, detailing how claims will be handled up to 31 March and from 1 April onwards. It emphasises the importance of the 31 March deadline for claims to avoid the new cap. It also deals with other matters, such as missing information and appeals. [With thanks to the Historic Religious Buildings Alliance.]

Defining Anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia

The Government’s Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia Definition, chaired by Dominic Grieve KC, has published its Terms of Reference. They include a declaration that:

“Any proposed definition must be compatible with the unchanging right of British citizens to exercise freedom of speech and expression – which includes the right to criticise, express dislike of, or insult religions and/or the beliefs and practices of adherents.”

Crime and Policing Bill

The Home Secretary has announced two forthcoming amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill:

• to give the police an explicit new power to prevent intimidating protests outside places of worship, so that where a protest has an intimidating effect that prevents people from accessing or attending their place of worship, “the full range of public order conditions will be available for the police to use”; and
• to extend the maximum penalty of three months’ imprisonment and a £1,000 fine for climbing a “significant memorial” to include the Holocaust Memorial in Westminster.

Church Measures

On Monday, a Commons Delegated Legislation Committee considered the Chancel Repair (Church Commissioners’ Liability) Measure (HC 773) and the Church Funds Investment Measure (HC 772) in a very brief debate. They will now go before the House for approval.

Humanist weddings

On Monday, the Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, Lord Alton, wrote formally to Lord Ponsonby, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the MoJ, reminding him of the judgment of Eady J in R (Harrison & Ors) v Secretary of State for Justice [2020] EWHC 2096 (Admin), and asking what the Government was doing about legalising humanist weddings in England and Wales – they are legal in Scotland. The letter concludes:

“I would be grateful if you could set out the specific steps the Government intends to take following the Law Commission’s report, bearing in mind the judge’s findings in the Harrison case almost 5 years ago.”

In a subsequent written answer to Lord Jackson of Peterborough, he said that the Government would “set out our position on weddings reform in the coming months” – so carry on watching this space…

Upcoming webinar: Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill

On 8 April, Stone King LLP is offering a free webinar on the implications of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill for charities, including arts, education and faith groups. It will be hosted by Frances Godden, Senior Associate in Stone King’s charities team, and she will be joined by Alan Baldwin, CEO of United Outcomes. Further details here.

Quick Links

• Russell Sandberg: Why Law Students Should Watch Doctor Who.

And finally…

… for serious charity law nerds only, the three UK charity regulators have launched a consultation on the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities, aka the Charities SORP: it closes on 20 June. Rather beyond us, we fear.