Lord Hodgson has told MPs that there is a generational shift in favour of paying trustees, with young people being more ready to allow the payment of charity trustees than older people.

Lord Hodgson was addressing the Public Administration Select Committee this morning, where he was quizzed on his controversial recommendation in the Charities Act Review to allow charities with an income above £1m to pay their trustees without seeking permission from the Charity Commission.

Hodgson defended the recommendation, insisting that charities with more than £1m in revenue were akin to a big business, which needed the ability to attract the best people.

Hodgson also said that there was a generational shift developing in attitude towards payment of trustees, citing an Ipsos Mori survey of the public which found young people were more ready to allow the payment of trustees than older people.

The Ipsos Mori survey found nearly half of 18-24 year-olds (47 per cent) favoured the payment of trustees, compared with just 22 per cent for those 65 or older.