Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to support small local charities.

The Government recognises the vitally important work the charity sector does in the UK, which is why we currently provide tax relief to charities and donors worth over £5 billion per year, including over £1.2 billion for Gift Aid alone. The Government is also committed to supporting small charities to become more independent, resilient and sustainable. Recent work includes the announcement of a further three years of the Small Charities Fundraising Training Programme and work to explore the role of small charities in public services. On the 15th December the country will celebrate the second Local Charities Day highlighting the fantastic work of small, local charities.

Smaller charities will also benefit from recent changes to the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS) that allows eligible charities and community amateur sports clubs to claim top-up payments on small donations made by cash or contactless technology of £20 or less. The rules were simplified and the maximum annual donation GASDS limit was increased to £8,000, allowing charities to now claim up to £2,000 per year in payments.