The Institute of Legacy Management (ILM) are attending a meeting with Smee & Ford tomorrow morning, Thursday May 22nd, to discuss the issues involved with a change over from the current service to whatever iteration the new Wills Notification service will take.
They will also seek clarity on the situation and try to pass on any pertinent information to ILM members following the meeting.
ILM have reiterated that their sole focus is ensuring ‘that there is no break in service between the end of Smee & Ford’s contract in July, and the creation of the new service.’
Although HMCTS have highlighted their intention of launching the system in two phases, they are yet to provide any further clarity or updates.
In order to ensure a continuity of service beyond the current arrangements ending in July, a short-term arrangement will be set up to bridge a gap between the current system and a long-term successor in 2020.
However, as HMCTS are still working on the logistics of the new service, they have been unable to offer any further information on what the interim system will look like.
Instead, a vague date of ‘some time in June was offered to the sector on what the changes will look like and how they will affect the charity sector.
This means that relevant stakeholders will be provided with a look at the new Wills Notification System a matter of weeks before the short-term system is launched.
The growing fear concerns a lack of time to plan and prepare for any changes which could cause delays to the system and will impact on the charity sector’s ability to add the legacy to their accrual figures.
How disruptive will these changes be to the charity sector? Will a new service improve the way charities are notified about legacy gifts left in Wills?
