​SCVO joins 1,170 Scottish charities in signing up to a new legal framework.

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) has joined over 1,170 Scottish charities by becoming a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO).

This new legal structure, which has been purpose built for the charity sector in Scotland, allows Scottish charities to become corporate bodies, and benefit from limited liability, without being subject to company law.

Lucy McTernan, deputy chief executive of SCVO, said: “By becoming a SCIO and reporting solely to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) rather than both OSCR and Companies House, we’re confident that SCVO is being regulated by an organisation that fully understands charities and the importance of protecting the public’s trust in the wider charity brand.

“Being a charity is all about changing people’s lives for the better and there’s a lot more to that than purely meeting financial obligations.

“This specialised structure for charities takes this into account and means that even the smallest charity can enjoy the benefits of incorporation, including limited liability, without having to comply with company law.”