By Stephen Cook
His report contains 113 recommendations on the sector's difficulties and anomalies. Here and in linked articles, Third Sector reporters summarise his proposals and sector reaction to them - and gauge whether they are likely to be implemented.
Lord Hodgson's proposals on fundraising appear to be the most likely to be taken up by the government, which is keen to respond to concerns about face-to-face fundraising among the public, some Conservative backbenchers and sections of the media.
The Hodgson review says face-to-face should be brought into the local authority licensing regime, but stops short of saying explicitly that charities should have to seek licences for it in the same way as for cash collections.
It says local authorities should be encouraged to strike agreements with the Public Fundraising Regulatory Association on the frequency and location of 'chugging', and ministers - who accept that face-to-face is an important source of donors to charities - might see this as the preferred way forward.
They are likely to favour Hodgson's recommendations on clarifying and simplifying the self-regulation of fundraising, and on drawing up national guidelines for public charitable collections that would allow local flexibility.
Charging charities for regulation by the Charity Commission, withdrawing Gift Aid for late filing of accounts and allowing charities with annual incomes of more than £1m to pay trustees without approval by the commission are among the reforms proposed last week by the review that are seen as less likely to make progress, at least in the short term.
The 159-page report also recommends raising the income threshold for compulsory registration for charities from £5,000 to £25,000 and amending the law to put social investment by charities on a firmer basis.
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