Under what name will the organisation be registered?
Charities Act 2005, s 15
If your organisation is already registered as an incorporated society, a company or a charitable trust board, the name under which it was registered will also be used for the Charities Register.
If your organisation isn’t incorporated, the name to be recorded on the Charities Register should be the name used on formal documents. The Charities Registration Board can refuse to register the organisation under a name that is offensive or likely to mislead the public.
If your organisation has more than one name (for example, if it’s known more commonly by a name other than its legal name), it may be possible for both names to be entered on the Charities Register.
Information on the Charities Register
Charities Act 2005, s 24
The Register holds the following information about each registered charity:
- its name, address and unique registration number
- names of current officers (and all other officers since the organisation was first registered)
- a copy of its rules
- a copy of the application for registration
- annual returns (including financial statements), and
- any notices about changes to the charity’s name, purpose, rules and so on.
This information is required to be publicly available, so that members of the public can search the register online. In limited situations, Charities Services can restrict public access to information or documents on the Register if it believes this is in the public interest (for example, to protect the health and safety of members of the public).
Note: Even if this information is restricted on the Charities Register, it will still be available through the Official Information Act.