Some 400 charities in Scotland were removed from the devolved nation’s register last year, according to a new report.
The Scottish charity regulator OSCR this week published its annual report and accounts for the year to March 2024.
OSCR said it removed 400 inactive charities from the Scottish register after they failed to submit their accounts, compared to 759 which were removed the year before.
The number of concerns OSCR received which were not appropriate for it to deal with reduced by 5% compared to the previous year, the regulator reported.
It said that all applications from charities to make changes such as updating their name or purposes were completed within 28 days.
OSCR renewed calls for its powers to be extended further following the introduction of the Charities (Regulation and Administration) (Scotland) Act 2023.
It urged Scottish ministers to allow the transfer of charity assets to ensure that resources continue to be used for the public benefit and allow the strike off of inactive Scottish charitable incorporated organisations.
‘Challenging period’
Marieke Dwarshuis, OSCR chair, said: “Looking back over the year, I can see clear evidence of OSCR’s achievements and hard work during a challenging period.
“By working in a flexible manner to meet changing demands and priorities, and embracing the need to implement operational efficiencies, we are in a strong position to regulate in a way which builds trust and confidence in Scottish charities.
“I have no doubt that this has been greatly enabled by the strong and positive leadership which has been shown by Maureen Mallon, who retired from her post as OSCR’s chief executive in June 2024.
“We are all looking forward to working with her successor, Katriona Carmichael, on the next stage of OSCR’s journey, building on the fantastic work done during 2023-24.”
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