Outgoing charity chief hits out at regulation

Peter Rose is stepping down from the board of the Association of Guernsey Charities after 11 years

A leading voice in Guernsey's charity sector has criticised the red tape around changes to the way groups are regulated.

Peter Rose said he was concerned about excessive and unnecessary intrusion from the registry affecting how charities operated.

In a speech to the annual general meeting of the Association of Guernsey Charities (AGC) , he criticised the need to have a personal registration with a certified passport before anyone could join a committee.

He urged the registry to adopt more "light touch" policies to avoid putting people off joining boards.

Mr Rose is stepping down from the AGC's board after 11 years.

He has been a long-term campaigner for gift aid - a scheme that enables tax relief on charitable donations, as exists in the UK.

On the States failure to introduce the gift aid scheme, he said it was "disgraceful on the part of the States' treasury" and that "it shows how much they really value what you do for our community".

"I do hope they will rethink but I won’t lose any sleep anticipating an epiphany", he added.

Guernsey's Policy and Resources Committee has been approached for comment.

During Mr Rose's time on the AGC board, he said one of his proudest achievements was the creation of a platform for Guernsey charities to raise money online - giving.gg.

He also praised the work of volunteers who helped create the platform, which has raised more than £1m for local charities since its creation in 2016.