Major charities are seeing a rise in legacy donations, partly thanks to a decline in probate delays.

Consultancy Legacy Futures said its 81 charity members saw numbers of bequests increase by 7 per cent, to a total of 62,100, in the year to June.

The organisation added that this rise has been driven by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) getting to grips with the backlog of probate cases. It estimates that around 33,000 wills remain delayed, down from around 70,000 last year, and including a potential £440m-worth of income for charities.

Ashley Rowthorn, Legacy Futures’ CEO, said: “The stability we’re seeing in the legacy giving forecast enables charities to plan more confidently for the future, making decisions and laying out strategies with a degree of insight into how legacies are predicted to perform.”

Legacy Futures’ members secured a legacy income of £1.83bn in the year to June, which was a 1 per cent increase from the previous year. This relatively limited uptick accompanied a 2.5 per cent fall in the average value of residual gifs, to £64,4000, largely due to a less buoyant housing market.

Mr Rowthorn remained confident for the future, however: “Looking ahead, the increase in bequests from probate and a more optimistic outlook on house prices lead us to expect the legacy market to remain resilient, with modest growth through the rest of 2024. 

“This is encouraging news for the charity sector, which has faced significant challenges in recent years due to the cost-of-living crisis and delays in probate.”

Legacy Futures estimates that UK charities received around £4bn from legacies in 2023-24, a similar figure to the preceding year. The organisation predicts this amount will increase to £10bn by 2050 as a result of a rising death rate and generally wealthier donors, who are more inclined to make provision in their will for charities.