After applying to the Charity Commission on December 29 to continue to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) they have been told that their application has been approved.

An email from the Charity Commission dated 6^th January, 2026 confirmed that the village hall’s application to convert to a CIO had been accepted.

The hall will now be officially registered with the Charity Commission as Scotton New Village Hall, although in practice the hall will continue use the Scotton Village Hall title.

Initially three trustees have been nominated to create the new charity but it will need to hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) to appoint new trustees and management committee positions, such as Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary.

This meeting is likely to be held in the Spring as there are a number of decisions to be taken in the interim, like setting up banking facilities and transferring any assets etc.

The current charity and its trustees will continue to operate as normal until the AGM is called and trustees appointed to the new CIO.

The decision to convert to a CIO was taken at an Extraordinary General Meeting on 2^nd December, 2025, involving local residents, which required three quarters of those present agreeing to the proposal.

A unanimous vote to convert to a CIO was received on the night and the application was sent to the Charity Commission in late December.

It was expected to take the Charity Commission up to 3-months to make their decision but just over a week later approval was given.

The purposes and dissolution clauses in the new constitution are identical to the original deed dated May 1975.

However, the new CIO will have more flexibility to develop schemes in the local community, as well as making it easier to attract funding and donations.

The new charity will be a separate legal entity that can hold property and enter into contacts in its own right.

It’s trustees will not be personally liable for what it does or for any debts accrued, as long as the decisions made are reasonable and lawful.

Presently, this is not the case as trustees can be individually sued if things go wrong.

As a CIO it can register with the HMRC and will be eligible for Gift Aid, which means that the government will give 25p in every pound Gift Aided.

Finally, the Charity Commission holds the village hall and surrounding land as custodian trustees, now we are a CIO the hall can be transferred to the new charity.

It’s new charity number is 1216393 and is registered on the Charity Commission website.