The Charity Commission has appointed an interim manager at an animal charity over continued concerns about its governance and management, and following reports of poor animal welfare.
A statutory inquiry was opened into Capricorn Animal Rescue and Sanctuary in February 2017 to “examine regulatory concerns about the governance of the charity, potential unauthorised trustee benefit, and whether the trustees have properly exercised their responsibilities under charity law - particularly their duty to account for the charity’s funds”.
Interim managers are appointed to take over the running of a charity where the Commission has identified misconduct or mismanagement, or there is a need to protect the charity’s property.
Guy Hollander of Mazars was appointed as the charity’s interim manager earlier this week, to the exclusion of the charity’s trustees. This means he will take full control of the day-to-day management and administration of the charity.
Harvey Grenville, head of investigations and enforcement at the Charity Commission, said: “We are not satisfied that the current governance procedures and practices are working properly, or are likely to be rectified by the trustees. A decision by the Charity Commission to appoint an interim manager is not taken lightly and reflects the seriousness of our regulatory concerns.”
‘Poor conditions’
The Capricorn Animal Rescue and Sanctuary was the subject of media and parliamentary interest in 2016 as complaints were made by the public that animals in the charity’s care were kept in poor conditions, with former volunteers also telling the BBC that alcohol had been bought with the charity’s money.
The charity appeared in BBC Wales’ Week Out programme in December 2016, where an undercover volunteer found dirty conditions, overcrowding and some animals having no access to water.
The Commission said it is aware that the charity has been the subject of concerns from members of the public relating to the welfare of animals in the charity’s care, but that this does not fall within the Commission’s remit and concerns on this matter should be directed to the RSPCA.
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