Public confidence in charity trustees is under the microscope. Liz Brownsell examines the Charity Commission’s powers & how not to fall foul of them
- With the Charity Commission now flexing its trustee disqualification powers, as recently seen in relation to the Captain Tom Foundation, conflict of interest and public trust in charities have been the subject of media headlines.
- In Goodband v Charity Commission, a disqualified charity trustee challenged the decision. The case gives a useful insight into how easily conflicts of interest can emerge and how they can be avoided.
One of the core statutory objectives of the Charity Commission for England and Wales is to increase public trust and confidence in charities, and its regulatory priorities are often driven by the issues that matter most to the public. This can be seen acutely in the context of statutory inquiries and trustee disqualification cases.
Research shows that the public care most about how charities spend their funds, and this is borne out in the stories that tend to
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