The Commission on Civil Society and Democratic Engagement have published their third report, setting out the first evidence of the impact of the Lobbying Act on charities and campaign groups.
The report draws evidence from 50 charities, faith and campaign groups across the UK representing a wide range of issues.
The commission are concerned by the findings:
Even before the regulated period started, the Lobbying Act has been limiting charities and campaign groups from speaking out on important issues ahead of the general election.
63% of respondents to our survey stated that compliance with the Act will make some or all of their organisational or charitable objectives harder to achieve.
The main impacts of the law so far are:
• Chilling effect: Many NGOs are more cautious about campaigning on politically contentious issues because they fear breaking the law or the reputational risk of vexatious complaints.
• Red tape: The law and associated guidance is consuming disproportionate resources that the public has donated to the causes they believe in.
• Coalition campaigning: The law makes it almost impossible for charities and campaign groups to work together speak out on politically contested issues as they did before the Act.
Recommendation:
The Lobbying Act should be repealed immediately, except for the increase in registration thresholds. This would have the effect of temporarily reverting to the previous Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
A new law should be consulted on, with appropriate pre-legislative scrutiny in Parliament, and passed into law within two years of the formation of the next Government.
For further information and to read the report, visit: http://civilsocietycommission.info/
As part of this a letter is being circulated to NGOs to sign to repeal the Lobbying Act, which can be found attached. The deadline to sign the letter is Wednesday 11 February 2105.
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 Letter to political parties calling for repeal of the Lobbying Act.doc | 35 KB |