Date updated: Monday 23rd December 2024
Our 2024 Advent Series covered four key areas of law as they relate to faith-based organisations: immigration; property law; safeguarding; and employment law.
We realise that December is a busy time, so this year’s Advent Series is comprised of five easily-digestible audio clips delivered by Stone King experts; choose to listen now, at a later date, or in instalments.
Julianna Barker, an Associate in Stone King's Immigration Team, takes listeners through the main visa routes available to religious workers wishing to come to the UK.
She covers the Minister of Religion visa, which is a route to settlement for individuals seeking to undertake a key leading pastoral role in the UK, and the Religious Worker route, which allows an individual to come to the UK for a temporary period to support the activities of religious institutions.
Julianna also touches upon other key considerations that faith-based organisations should consider when determining the most appropriate visa route for their overseas members.
Join Christopher D Jones, Partner and expert in both ecclesiastical and charity property law, for the first half of his charity property law review.
In this clip, Christopher takes a detailed look at the Charities Act 2022, which came into force in spring of this year, as well as the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, which received royal assent before Parliament dissolved for the 2024 General Election.
Biodiversity net gain (BNG) is also covered, which requires developers to ensure that, after works are completed, wildlife habitats are left in a measurably better state than they were before the development.
In the second half of his charity property law review for 2024, Christopher D Jones covers the current proposals in the Renters’ Rights Bill, such as the abolition of assured shorthold tenancies and creation of the new Private Rented Sector Database.
This audio clip also covers the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, which will impose duties on those responsible for certain premises and events to take steps to mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack, and reduce harm in the event of one occurring.
Looking ahead to the future of the sector, Christopher also touches on the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, the Law Commission’s project on burial, cremation, and new funerary methods, landlord and tenant law, as well as minimum energy efficiency standards and transparency of land ownership.
Join Stone King Partner and Head of Faith, Lee Coley, as he delves into the Charity Commission’s guidance on safeguarding and protecting vulnerable beneficiaries.
In this audio clip, Lee covers the importance of safeguarding as a key governance priority, as well as the responsibility that trustees have to establish robust policies, provide training, and monitor safeguarding performance.
Also discussed is the need for clear accountability and consistent consequences for misconduct. Effective serious incident reporting and the value of learning from mistakes and recent high-profile enquiries cannot be overstated, and Lee gives practical steps to strengthen safeguarding measures within your organisation.
https://www.stoneking.co.uk/literature/video/advent-series-2024-safeguarding-reflections-lee-coley
In this, the final audio clip of our 2024 Advent Series, Harriet Broughton, Partner in Stone King’s Employment Team, talks about employment law as it relates to faith-based organisations.
She discusses themes that the team have identified throughout 2024, such as an unfortunate upward trend in the theft of charitable funds and assets by employees, as well as many faith clients reviewing their operations and engaging in mergers and transfers.
Harriet also looks ahead to 2025, which she believes will be a year of change, with the Employment Rights Bill expected to become law in early summer 2025, although most provisions won't come into force until autumn 2026.
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