Oxfam criticised over Haiti sex claims – BBC News
‘Oxfam has been severely criticised by the Charity Commission for the way it dealt with claims of serious sexual misconduct by its staff in Haiti.’
BBC News, 11th June 2019
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: Charity Commission
Regulator warns policy makers to “think very carefully” before setting up charity for singular public project – Local Government Lawyer
‘The fact that more than £50m of public funds was spent by the Garden Bridge Trust without producing demonstrable public benefit or impact represented “a failure for charity which risks undermining public trust”, the Charity Commission has said.’
Local Government Lawyer, 11th April 2019
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Garden Bridge which cost the taxpayer more than £50m was ‘a failure for charity’ that undermines public trust, commission rules – Daily Telegraph
‘The London Garden Bridge, which cost the taxpayer more than £50 million, was “a failure for charity” that undermines public trust, the Charity Commission has ruled.’
Daily Telegraph, 9th April 2019
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
The end of the line for Kennedy v Charity Commission – Panopticon
‘The background, as you may recall, is that Mr Kennedy, a Times journalist, was trying to get information out of the Charity Commission in connection with the ‘Mariam Appeal’, a fund set up by George Galloway MP for the purposes of supporting Iraqi children suffering from leukaemia. Mr Kennedy wanted to get hold of the information in connection with an investigation he was conducting into whether monies collected under the name of Mariam’s Appeal had been misused. Mr Kennedy made a FOIA request to the Charity Commission, which had conducted an investigation into Mariam’s Appeal. Mr Kennedy’s request was refused on the basis that the information requested fell within the scope of s. 32 FOIA (absolute exemption concerning court records).’
Panopticon, 18th March 2019
Source: panopticonblog.com
Charity Commission Inquiry: Birmingham Diocesan Trust – Law & Religion UK
‘On 12 February 2019, the Charity Commission issued the following Press Release regarding a new inquiry into the charity behind the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham over safeguarding concerns.’
Law & Religion UK, 14th February 2019
Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com
The status of allotments – Law Society’s Gazette
‘The recent decision of the Upper Tribunal in Densham v Charity Commission [2018] UKUT 0402, in which the Charity Commission made detailed legal submissions, will be of interest to all trust law practitioners as well as those working with local authorities.’
Law Society's Gazette, 28th January 2019
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
Former trustees of MA 1985 (formerly Muslim Aid) criticised after investigation finds serious mismanagement – Charity Commission
‘The Charity Commission has found serious mismanagement on the part of the former board of trustees of MA 1985 (formerly Muslim Aid), as set out in an inquiry report published today.’
Charity Commission, 6th December 2018
source: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission
Charity commission and fundraising websites plan crackdown on fraudulent donation pages – Daily Telegraph
‘Charity regulators are cracking down on fundrasing scammers after concerns that fraudsters had used tragedies such as Grenfell Tower and terror attacks to dupe donors.’
Daily Telegraph, 27th September 2017
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Charity Commission issues official warning to gurdwara – Law & Religion UK
‘The Charity Commission opened a compliance case in 2015 into Gurdwara Guru Nanak Parkash in Coventry and has now issued an official warning to the trustees under s 75A(1)(a) Charities Act 2011 on the grounds that “a breach of trust or duty or other misconduct or mismanagement has been committed by or in connection with the control and management of the charity as charity trustees”. This is only the second time the Commission has used its power to issue an official warning’
Law & Religion UK, 24th August 2017
Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com
Jehovah’s Witnesses lose appeal to block New Moston inquiry – Law & Religion UK
‘In Tayo & Ors (Trustees of Manchester New Moston Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses) v Charity Commission for England and Wales [2017] UKUT 134 (TCC), the trustees of Manchester New Moston Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses lost their appeal against the First Tier Tribunal’s refusal in 2015 – which we noted at the time – to review the Charity Commission’s decision to open a statutory inquiry into the charity under s 46 Charities Act 2011.’
Law & Religion UK, 5th April 2017
Source: www.lawandreligionuk.com
I exposed corruption at War Child. Here’s why whistleblowers need anonymity – The Guardian
‘When I spoke out about corruption in the charity, I was ostracised and then fired. Little has changed since then. My advice is proceed with caution’
The Guardian, 10th April 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
UK charities fined for data law breaches – BBC News
‘Eleven charities have been fined by the UK’s data watchdog for misusing information about millions of past donors to seek further funds.’
BBC News, 5th April 2017
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation’s efforts to block inquiry squashed – The Guardian
‘A Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation in Manchester has lost a legal attempt to block an investigation into its handling of sexual abuse allegations, after failing to convince a judge that the inquiry amounted to religious discrimination.’
The Guardian, 4th April 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Jehovah’s Witnesses charity drops attempts to block abuse inquiry – The Guardian
‘he UK’s main Jehovah’s Witnesses charity has dropped efforts to block an investigation into how it handled allegations of sexual abuse, including of children, after a legal fight lasting more than two years.’
The Guardian, 2r3d January 2017
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Theresa May vows to correct ‘burning injustices’ – BBC News
‘Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to introduce wide-ranging social reforms to correct what she calls the “burning injustices” in modern society.’
BBC News, 8th January 2017
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Richard Clayton QC: New Directions for Article 10: Strasbourg Reverses the Supreme Court in Kennedy – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘The Supreme Court decision in Kennedy v Charity Commission was striking from many points of view. Mr Kennedy was a journalist frustrated by the way the Commission handled his allegations concerning George Galloway MP’s controversial Iraq charity, the Miriam Appeal. He applied for disclosure of documents under the Freedom of Information Act, arguing that a prohibition from disclosure under s 32 should be interpreted compatibly with Article 10, as required by s 3 of the HRA. However, the Supreme Court declined to follow the recent ECtHR case law, holding that Article 10 did not encompass a right of access to information, deprecating the parties’ failure to rely upon the common law right to information and disagreeing over the question of whether proportionality should replace Wednesbury unreasonableness: see my previous post on this here.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 13th December 2016
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org
Jehovah’s Witnesses under pressure over handling of sexual abuse claims – The Guardian
‘The Jehovah’s Witnesses organisation is under increasing pressure to address its handling of sexual abuse allegations as it faces legal setbacks, bills of over £1m and a fight to prevent the Charity Commission examining its records of abuse claims.’
The Guardian, 12th August 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Didier Drogba: Charity Commission investigating player’s foundation – BBC News
‘A charity run by Didier Drogba is being investigated over “serious regulatory concerns” by the Charity Commission.’
BBC News, 14th April 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Regina (Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Britain and others) v Charity Commission – WLR Daily
‘Following three trials of former members of Jehovah’s Witnesses’s congregations on charges of historic sex abuse the Charity Commission decided to initiate a statutory inquiry relating to a leading Jehovah’s Witness charity’s safeguarding policy regarding vulnerable beneficiaries in particular children, under section 46 of the Charities Act 2011, and to order the charity to produce a wide range of documents, under section 52 of the Act, even though none of those accused was connected with the charity. .The applicants, the charity and its trustees, sought judicial review of those decisions, on the grounds that (i) the commission had acted disproportionately by commencing an inquiry the scope of which was vague and undefined and by interfering with the applicants’ Convention rights, and had thereby breached its duty to act fairly so that the decision was irrational; and (ii) the scope of the production order was disproportionate in that information was sought of a personal and sensitive nature, within the meaning of the Data Protection Act 1998, and was furthermore in breach of the Convention rights of individuals affected. The judge in refusing permission to proceed with the judicial review clain held that the applicants had an effective statutory remedy by appealing to the First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber) (Charity) against a decision to initiate an inquiry, and that any complaint relating to the breadth of a production order could be dealt with before that tribunal.’
WLR Daily, 15th March 2016
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Quarter of Charity Commission inquiries target Muslim groups – The Guardian
‘More than a quarter of the statutory investigations that have been launched by the Charity Commission since April 2012 and remain open have targeted Muslim organisations, an analysis by the Guardian can reveal – drawing criticism from Islamic groups that they are being unfairly singled out.’
The Guardian, 16th November 2014
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
