The Charity Commission has appointed two interim managers to a Liverpool-based charity as part of an ongoing statutory inquiry.
In 2022, the commission opened a compliance case into Eldonian Community Trust Limited over concerns about its governance.
This summer, the regulator escalated its case into an inquiry to investigate the extent to which the trustees comply with their legal duties with the charity’s administration, governance and management.
Yesterday, it announced that it appointed Sarah Tomlinson and Phil Watts of Anthony Collins Solicitors as interim managers to the charity on 24 October 2024.
Tomlinson and Watts will undertake “certain duties to the exclusion of individuals who have been acting as trustees of the charity”, the commission said.
Scope of the inquiry
The inquiry is looking at whether Eldonian Community Trust Limited has a sufficient number of trustees who are willing and capable of managing it and whether they have managed it in accordance with its governing document.
It is also trying to determine whether the trustees comply with their legal obligations for the content, preparation and filing of the charity’s accounts and other information or returns.
Tomlinson and Watts are tasked with appointing new members to the charity, identifying the skills required on the board of trustees and finding people among the refreshed membership who want to stand for election at an annual general meeting (AGM).
In addition, they must call an AGM before the end of January 2025 to be held at the Eldonian Village Hall or within a two-mile radius.
Eldonian Community Trust Limited is part of a wider network of organisations linked to the Eldonian Community village in Liverpool.
The charity was incorporated in 1987 and its purposes are to advance education and establish or secure a community centre.
Several other entities operate under the Eldonian brand but only Eldonian Community Trust Limited is a registered charity falling within the commission’s remit.
Between September 2018 and September 2022, the charity’s total income fell from £17,640 to £0, while its total expenditure decreased from £22,680 to £2,706.
Civil Society contacted Eldonian Community Trust Limited for comment.
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