Become a legal body

Becoming a legal body has enabled many partnerships to continue, expand or specialise their community development work. However, we know it can be a time-consuming and complicated process, which is why we are offering increased support on the topic.

What support is on offer?

As a Big Local partnership, you can access bespoke support from our specialist partners to get help with things like:

• discover the different legal options for community organisations and the pros and cons of each type
• set out a step-by-step guide to registering a community organisation and obtaining charitable status
• understand the regulation, administration, and funding implications of each kind of legal body, including how to obtain registered charitable status, if appropriate

This offer is often taken up in tandem with our assets offer, which you can find out more about here.

Who delivers this support?

Our partner, Locality, is the national membership network supporting community organisations to be strong and successful. They help local community organisations to set up, own and manage land and buildings to create spaces where everyone belongs.

Locality guided and handheld us through the processes setting up a legal body – taking into consideration the differing levels of knowledge within our group. We would happily recommend them to other groups in similar situations.

Kerrie Prowting, Winterton Big Local

Read our blog on how Big Local areas are making it happen with assets and legal bodies support here >

Interested in this support?

Fill in your details and more about your support needs and we will get back to you.*

You can also speak to your area advisor or area coordinator if you’d like to chat through your options.

DISCLAIMER: Whilst in-area support with our partners is open to all, if certain support offers are oversubscribed, we will need to prioritize this depending on which areas need it most. This doesn’t mean your area will not get to take part in the offer – just that you may have to wait until support has been offered to priority areas first. For more details, read our Make it Happen FAQs.