UK regulator removes 28 organisations from charity register
21 October 2019 at 5:00 pm
The charity watchdog says more than £50 million in charitable funds have been accounted for following its inquiry
The UK Charity Commission has removed the charitable status of 28 organisations after an investigation into “double defaulter” charities.
The regulator was investigating charities that failed to file their financial information for two or more of the past five years.
This led 97 charities to address their reporting failures and submit their outstanding annual documents.
As a result, £51,615,231 of charitable income has been accounted for.
The inquiry also removed 28 organisations from the register of charities that had ceased to exist or no longer operated.
Amy Spiller, head of the investigations team at the commission, said she was pleased the inquiry had resulted in charities getting their financial reporting back on track and accounted for.
“Generous donors have a right to be able to see clearly how their money is being spent, and be assured that they are going to their intended causes,” Spiller said.
“Charities must [show] how they are delivering on their charitable mission and purpose through financial information that they make available.
“This is vital if charities are to meet legitimate public expectations around transparency and accountability.”
In Australia, the charities commission recently warned that more than 2,000 charities risked losing their charity status for failing their annual reporting requirements.
Data provided to Pro Bono News revealed 10,644 organisations have lost their charity status for “double defaulting” since the commission started the process in 2014-15.
