The perception of the Lobbying Act is more damaging than the reality, and charities should feel free to speak out on behalf of their beneficiaries, the minister for sport and civil society has said today.

Tracey Crouch writes that charities have felt a “chilling effect” from the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act, and she wants to turn that into a “warm breeze”.

The Lobbying Act was introduced in 2014 and contains rules which require some charities to register with the Electoral Commission and report on their campaigning. Two charities – Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth – have been fined for not complying with the act.

During the recent snap election, charities discovered that since the act covers the year before an election, they could have been in breach of the rules even when that election had not yet been announced.

The Conservative government recently decided not to take forward a package of reforms to the Lobbying Act, which would have reduced red tape and allowed charities to campaign with more confidence. Crouch says the reason this has not been taken forward is because there was no legislative time to implement it.

Crouch said she wants to work with the sector to ensure that it feels free to campaign, and to help the sector understand the rules.

“Lord Hodgson, in his review last year, concluded that it was the perception of the legislation, rather than its direct impact, that was making charities pause. I agree,” she wrote.

“So in the absence of legislative reform, the question is how we can work with charities to change the perception of the legislation and encourage charities to continue their important campaigning work.

“I want to work with the sector to tackle any confusion about the rules and give them the confidence to speak out on behalf of their beneficiaries. I know that the minister for the constitution, Chris Skidmore, who has responsibility for the Lobbying Act, shares this view and together we will help charities to better understand the non-party campaigning rules.”