This week the charity sector came together to stand against the Lobbying Act. Over 100 UK charities and campaigners signed an open letter to demand the Lobbying Act is reformed. In their latest article Bond suggest three ways to improve the Act.
“Three changes would help redress the balance:
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Changing the “purpose test” which states that any activity which appears intended to influence elections could be caught by the Act.
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Reducing the regulated period prior to an election covered by the act. At present, it covers the period a year before elections, but Hodgson recommends reducing this to four months.
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Reforming complex rules on joint campaigning, which effectively requires charities who are working together to double-count their spending on campaign activities.”
Bond is the UK membership body for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in international development. See the full article on Bond’s website here.