Press release

New Charity Inquiry: The Moss Side and Hulme Community Development Trust

The charity regulator opens a statutory inquiry into The Moss Side and Hulme Community Development Trust

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The Charity Commission, the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, has opened a statutory inquiry into The Moss Side and Hulme Community Development Trust (1093592). The inquiry was opened on 28 August 2018.

The charity’s objects include urban and rural regeneration, relief of poverty, advancement of education, conservation of the environment, and the advancement of education in African Caribbean heritage and culture within Moss Side, Hulme and adjacent areas of Manchester.

In October 2017, the charity was included in the Commission’s class statutory inquiry, which looked into charities that had defaulted on their annual reporting obligations two or more times in the last five years. The charity filed its outstanding financial information and was removed from the class statutory inquiry on 29 March 2018. The fact that the charity has yet again failed to meet its statutory requirement to file its financial accounting documents on time is a serious regulatory concern to the Commission, and evidence of misconduct and mismanagement in the administration of charity.

The financial information submitted by the charity has also raised further regulatory concerns for the Commission in relation to potential unauthorised payments to a trustee, and other breaches of charity law affecting the management of the charity.

As a result the inquiry will look at the extent to which the trustees are complying with their legal duties in respect of their administration, governance and management of the Charity and in particular:

  • the trustees’ compliance with their legal obligations for the preparation and filing of the charity’s accounts and other information or returns
  • the extent to which the trustees have complied with previously issued regulatory guidance
  • the extent to which there has been any unauthorised trustee remuneration

It is the Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries by the Commission are available on GOV.UK.

Ends

Notes to editors

  1. The Charity Commission is the regulator of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work see the about us page on GOV.UK.
  2. Search for charities on our check charity tool.
  3. Section 46 of the Charities Act 2011 gives the commission the power to institute inquiries. The opening of an inquiry gives the commission access to a range of investigative, protective and remedial legal powers.

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Published 27 September 2018