(1)Charity proceedings may be taken with reference to a charity either by the charity, or by any of the charity trustees, or by any person interested in the charity, or by any two or more inhabitants of the area of the charity, if it is a local charity, but not by any other person.
(2)Subject to the following provisions of this section, no charity proceedings relating to a charity (other than an exempt charity) shall be entertained or proceeded with in any court unless the taking of the proceedings is authorised by order of the Commissioners.
(3)The Commissioners shall not, without special reasons, authorise the taking of charity proceedings where in their opinion the case can be dealt with by them under the powers of this Act.
(4)This section shall not require any order for the taking of proceedings in a pending cause or matter or for the bringing of any appeal.
(5)Where the foregoing provisions of this section require the taking of charity proceedings to be authorised by an order of the Commissioners, the proceedings may nevertheless be entertained or proceeded with if after the order had been applied for and refused leave to take the proceedings was obtained from one of the judges of the High Court attached to the Chancery Division.
(6)Nothing in the foregoing subsections shall apply to the taking of proceedings by the Attorney General, with or without a relator.
(7)Where it appears to the Commissioners, on an application for an order under this section or otherwise, that it is desirable for legal proceedings to be taken with reference to any charity (other than an exempt charity) or its property or affairs, and for the proceedings to be taken by the Attorney General, the Commissioners shall so inform the Attorney General, and send him such statements and particulars as they think necessary to explain the matter.
(8)In this section " charity proceedings " means proceedings in any court in England or Wales brought under the court's jurisdiction with respect to charities, or brought under the court's jurisdiction with respect to trusts in relation to the administration of a trust for charitable purposes.
(9)The Charities Procedure Act, 1812, and so much of any local or private Act establishing or regulating a charity as relates to the persons by whom or the manner or form in which any charity proceedings may be brought shall cease to have effect.
(1)Subject to the exceptions provided for by this section, no property forming part of the permanent endowment of a charity shall, without an order of the court or of the Commissioners, be mortgaged or charged by way of security for the repayment of money borrowed, nor, in the case of land in England or Wales, be sold, leased or otherwise disposed of.
(2)Subsection (1) above shall apply to any land which is held by or in trust for a charity and is or has at any time been occupied for the purposes of the charity, as it applies to land forming part of the permanent endowment of a charity; but a transaction for which the sanction of an order under subsection (1) above is required by virtue only of this subsection shall, notwithstanding that it is entered into without such an order, be valid in favour of a person who (then or afterwards) in good faith acquires an interest in or charge on the land for money or money's worth.
(3)This section shall apply notwithstanding anything in the trusts of a charity, but shall not require the sanction of an order—
(a)for any transaction for which general or special authority is expressly given (without the authority being made subject to the sanction of an order) by any statutory provision contained in or having effect under an Act of Parliament or by any scheme legally established; or
(b)for the granting of a lease for a term ending not more than twenty-two years after it is granted, not being a lease granted wholly or partly in consideration of a fine; or
(c)for any disposition of an advowson.
(4)This section shall not apply to an exempt charity, nor to any charity which is excepted by order or regulations.
(1)Where a charity may be wound up by the High Court under the Companies Act, 1948, a petition for it to be wound up under that Act by any court in England or Wales having jurisdiction may be presented by the Attorney General, as well as by any person authorised by that Act.
(2)Where a charity is a company or other body corporate, and has power to alter the instruments establishing or regulating it as a body corporate, no exercise of that power which has the effect of the body ceasing to be a charity shall be valid so as to affect the application of any property acquired under any disposition or agreement previously made otherwise than for full consideration in money or money's worth, or of any property representing property so acquired, or of any property representing income which has accrued before the alteration is made, or of the income from any such property as aforesaid.
(1)It shall not be lawful, without the consent of the Commissioners, to invite gifts in money or in kind to the funds of, or to any fund managed by, an institution which has the words " common good " in its name, other than a body corporate established by Royal charter, or to any fund described in or in connection with the invitation by a name which includes the words " common good " otherwise than as part of the name of such a body corporate.
(2)The words " common good" shall not, without the consent of the Commissioners, be used in the name of any institution established in England or Wales, other than a body corporate established by Royal charter.
(3)Any person contravening subsection (1) or (2) of this section shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.