Village halls guidance

What this Guide covers

The guidance aims to:

• Outline the governance structures applying to many village halls.
• Explain some of the problems and limitations which these structures can cause.
• Explain the process that village hall charity trustees should follow if they want to become a company or a SCIO.

Who is this guidance for?

This guidance is for people who are advising village hall charities about incorporation as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) or a company; or making changes to their governing document.

How to use the guidance

The guidance is split into three main parts:

• Part 1: The background and matters to consider
• Part 2: Becoming a company or a SCIO
• Part 3: Modernising the governing document

Throughout the guidance certain terms are with links, these terms are explained in the Glossary of Terms.

There are case studies and examples of powers contained in many Deeds of Trust at the end of the guidance.

Sources of help and advice

If you are a charity trustee of a village hall, we strongly advise you to get professional advice before making changes to the charity’s structure. You can get advice from:

• Third Sector Interface: Each local authority area in Scotland has a Third Sector Interface, which provides support to voluntary organisations on a variety of topics including charity regulation.
• Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO): is a membership organisation for charities, community groups, social enterprises and voluntary organisation of all shapes and sizes from across the whole of Scotland.