The statutory inquiry into the charity began earlier this year
The charity regulator has issued an update from its investigation into the Eldonian Community Trust. The community trust is part of a wider network of organisations linked to the Eldonian Community village in Vauxhall, 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 Charity 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 commission opened a regulatory compliance case into the charity in 2022 over concerns about its governance. In September, the ECHO reported the commission had opened a statutory inquiry to investigate a range of concerns.
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The commission has now appointed two interim managers to the charity, whose role is to undertake certain duties to the exclusion of individuals who have been acting as trustees at the charity. Sarah Tomlinson and Phil Watts of Anthony Collins Solicitors LLP are tasked with:
- appointing new members to the charity, in line with the charity’s governing document
- identifying the skills required on the charity’s board of trustees and identifying from among the refreshed membership those who may be willing to stand for election at an Annual General Meeting (AGM)
- calling an AGM before the end of January 2025, to be held either at the Eldonian Village Hall or within a two-mile radius.
The Interim Managers were appointed on October 24 2024. The Commission’s inquiry into the charity remains ongoing. 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 commission understands that the trustees of Eldonian Community Trust Limited intend to challenge the decision to open an inquiry. In September, an Eldonian Community Trust spokesperson said: “The Community Trust has been engaged with the Commission since 2022. The focus of this enquiry centres around an issue if the charity rules were fully followed with the election of three members at an AGM in November 2023.
“There had not been any AGMs for several years due to the previous trustees’ advanced aging, and of course the COVID pandemic. The Trust would like to clarify there are no financial issue concerns by the Commission, and will of course continue to co operate with the regulatory body.” The Eldonian Community Trust Limited has been contacted for further comment.
