Local MP John Grogan
As students return from summer to tough questions this autumn, so too do MPs. One of the first of these will be what exactly is a charity? While the aims of charities such as the Make Poverty History Campaign, the Royal British Legion and York University Students’ Union are different, what they share is their impact on everyday lives, often providing services that the state cannot.
The Charities Bill will provide a legal definition of ‘charity’ and ‘charitable purpose’, and introduce a test for charities to prove their public benefit. One area of controversy surrounds the Bill. Charitable status brings significant tax advantages, for example the introduction of Gift Aid enables charitable organisations to claim the tax back from donations.
Up until now independent schools have enjoyed charitable status but will now have to prove public benefit. Both the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and the Charity Commission are lobbying for more guidance in law as to how the “public benefit test” should be applied. I have put down an amendment to the Bill on their behalf. This would mean that the independent school sector which currently gets £100 million from the taxpayer would put something back into the local community.
I think the most substantial contribution independent schools could make to our communities is to address inequalities between state and privately educated pupils. The University of York is the only leading UK University to exceed Government benchmarks for accepting state school applicants. A study by the Sutton Trust revealed that there are 3000 state pupils annually who achieve A level grades high enough to attend a leading university, but – for one reason or another – don’t. This is not a question of lowering standards, but of improving access.
Whilst the Chancellor’s recent pledge to raise state school spending should be welcomed, we should also look to tap into the resources of those institutions receiving the benefits of charitable status. One way that private schools might prove their public benefit is to share facilities and teaching time with local state schools. The social mixing this would encourage would be beneficial to all.
