11 March 2019
A proposed new law to give trustees the right to time off from work to perform their duties has been presented to Parliament.
At a time when charities are finding it harder to recruit trustees to their boards, Susan Elan Jones MP has introduced a ten-minute bill designed to give charity trustees the same rights as school governors, local councillors, magistrates, members of health authorities and trade union officers.
This would give trustees the right to “reasonable time off” to perform their duties and attend board meetings. The time off could be unpaid and agreed between employer and employee in advance, depending on the amount of time off required and the potential impact on the businesses or organisation.
The aim is to demonstrate that the work of trustees is valued and to boost diversity on charity boards, as well as giving staff the opportunity to gain board-level experience earlier in their careers.
Susan Elan Jones is co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Charities and Volunteering, and her bill is supported by 11 other MPs. The bill seeks to amend the Employment Rights Act 1996, to give trustees the same status in law as other voluntary roles in public life, with the same right to request time off from work to perform their duties.
Charity Commission research shows that the average trustee is a 62-year-old white British male, and there is some concern in the charity sector that large sections of the population are not represented on trustee boards. It is hoped that this bill would encourage a much wider range of people to consider becoming trustees.
The second reading of the bill will take place on 22 March.
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