In March 2012 the membership of Kirkhill and Bunchrew Community Trust agreed that the Trust should apply to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator to convert its legal status from a Company Limited by Guarantee to a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Institution (SCIO). This application was approved on 21 August 2012. The change of status reduces the amount of bureaucracy the Trust needs to comply with, but makes no difference to its day to day activities (or its accountability as a registered charity). The new constitution of the Trust can be found here.
What is the SCIO? – The SCIO is a new legal form that has been purpose built for the charity sector in Scotland. It provides limited liability and separate legal identity to organisations that want to become charities but do not want or need the complex structure of company law. SCIOs are regulated by OSCR (Office of the Scottish Charities Register) and do not need to register with Companies House.
What are the benefits of the SCIO? – Reporting to one regulator, and not having to produce accrued accounts are two reasons why smaller charities are finding the SCIO model attractive.
When is the SCIO available? – The new legal form became available on 1 April 2011 to groups that have not already incorporated under company law. Incorporated groups will be able to convert to the SCIO form in 2012