Charities Act 1960 (repealed)

Property vested in official custodian E+W+N.I.

16 Entrusting charity property to official custodian, and termination of trust. E+W+N.I.

(1) The court may by order vest any property held by or in trust for a charity in the official custodian for charities, or authorise or require the persons in whom any such property is vested to transfer it to him, or appoint any person to transfer any such property to him.

(2) Where any personal property is held by or in trust for a charity, or is comprised in any testamentary gift to a charity, the property may with the agreement of the official custodian for charities be transferred to him; and his receipt for any such property comprised in a testamentary gift to a charity shall be a complete discharge of the personal representative.

In this subsection, the expression “personal property” shall extend to any real security, but shall not include any interest in land otherwise than by way of security only.

(3) Where property is vested in the official custodian for charities in trust for a charity, the court may make an order discharging him from the trusteeship as respects all or any of that property.

(4) Where the official custodian for charities is discharged from his trusteeship of any property, or the trusts on which he holds any property come to an end, the court may make such vesting orders and give such directions as may seem to the court to be necessary or expedient in consequence.

(5) No person shall be liable for any loss occasioned by his acting in conformity with an order under this section or by his giving effect to anything done in pursuance of such an order, or be excused from so doing by reason of the order having been in any respect improperly obtained; and no vesting or transfer of any property in pursuance of this section shall operate as a breach of a convenant or condition against alienation or give rise to a forfeiture.

17 Supplementary provisions as to property vested in official custodian. E+W+N.I.

(1) Subject to the provisions of this Act, where property is vested in the official custodian for charities in trust for a charity, he shall not exercise any powers of management, but he shall as trustee of any property have all the same powers, duties and liabilities, and be entitled to the same rights and immunities, and be subject to the control and orders of the court, as a corporation appointed custodian trustee under section four of the M1 Public Trustee Act 1906 except that he shall have no power to charge fees.

(2) Where any land or interest in land is vested in the official custodian for charities in trust for a charity, the charity trustees shall have power in his name and on his behalf to execute and do all assurances and things which they could properly require him to execute or do—

(a) for carrying out any transaction affecting the land or interest which is authorised by order of the court or of the Commissioners; or

(b) for granting any lease for a term ending not more than twenty-two years after it is granted, not being a lease granted wholly or partly in consideration of a fine, or for accepting the surrender of a lease.

(3) Where any land or interest in land is vested in the official custodian for charities in trust for a charity, the charity trustees shall have the like power to make obligations entered into by them binding on the land or interest as if it were vested in them; and any convenant, agreement or condition which is enforceable by or against the custodian by reason of the land or interest being vested in him shall be enforceable by or against the charity trustees as if the land or interest were vested in them.

(4) In relation to a corporate charity, subsections (2) and (3) above shall apply with the substitution of references to the charity for references to the charity trustees.

(5) Subsections (2) and (3) above shall not authorise any charity trustees or charity to impose any personal liability on the official custodian for charities.

(6) Where the official custodian for charities is entitled as trustee for a charity to the custody of securities or documents of title relating to the trust property, he may permit them to be in the possession or under the control of the charity trustees, without thereby incurring any liability.

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 17(1) excluded (prosp.) by Charities Act 1992 (c. 41), ss. 30(1), 79(2); S.I. 1992/1900, art. 2(1), Sch.1

Marginal Citations

M1 1906 c. 55.