Charities felt gagged before the EU referendum – now we must speak up | Stuart Etherington

Before the Brexit referendum, voluntary organisations felt gagged by the rules on campaigning. Now we must make our voices heard

In the lead up to the EU referendum last June, charities were confused. They didn’t know whether or not they were allowed to take a position and campaign for a specific outcome.

At the time, we at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and others criticised the Charity Commission’s guidance for its negative and prescriptive interpretation of the law on campaigning and political activity. Although the guidance was later withdrawn, the damage had already been done. Afraid of the consequences of intervening in a heated political debate, many charities chose to stay silent.

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from Voluntary Sector Network | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2ofsZUU