The Charity Commission, the regulator of charities for England and Wales, has opened a statutory inquiry into Eldonian Community Trust Limited.
The charity is part of a wider network of organisations linked to the Eldonian Community village in Liverpool, founded in 1978 as a landmark inner-city redevelopment.
Several entities carry the ‘Eldonian' brand, of which only Eldonian Community Trust Limited is a registered charity falling within the Commission's remit. The charity was incorporated in 1987 and its purposes are to advance education and to establish or secure a community centre.
The regulator opened a regulatory compliance case into the charity in 2022 over concerns about its governance.
The Commission has now opened a statutory inquiry, the scope of which is to investigate:
- the extent to which the current trustees are complying with their legal duties in respect of the administration, governance and management of the charity
- if the charity has a sufficient number of trustees who are willing and capable of managing it and have managed it in accordance with its governing document
- whether the trustees are complying with legal obligations for the content, preparation and filing of the charity's accounts and other information or returns
The scope of the inquiry may be varied if new evidence comes to light.
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.
Notes to editors
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The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its ambition is to be an expert regulator that is fair, balanced, and independent so that charity can thrive. This ambition will help to create and sustain an environment where charities further build public trust and ultimately fulfil their essential role in enhancing lives and strengthening society.
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The Charity Commission's inquiry will examine Eldonian Community Trust Limited only. There are several other Eldonian entities which are not charitable and are therefore not within the Commission's remit to investigate. The inquiry opened on 21 August 2024 under section 46 of the Charities Act 2011.
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The Commission understands that the trustees of Eldonian Community Trust Limited intend to challenge the Commission's decision to open an inquiry.