Charity Commission Disqualifications

The Charity Commission announced (3 July) the disqualification from being charity trustees and from holding an office or employment with senior management functions in charities of Hannah Ingram-Moore and Colin Ingram-Moore, for 10 and 8 years respectively. 

This concludes the statutory inquiry which began in June 2022 over serious concerns about The Captain Tom Foundation’s governance and financial controls. 

The Foundation was registered as a grant making charity in 2020 to continue Captain Sir Tom Moore’s NHS fundraising work. He raised £38.9m in April 2020 for NHS Charities Together. This initial fundraising was managed by JustGiving and was transferred the family say “without involvement by the family.” 

Charity Commission CEO, David Holdsworth, said in the announcement: “As a fair, independent and evidence-led regulator we only disqualify someone from serving as a trustee or a senior manager in a charity when the evidence gathered means it is proportionate and lawful to do so. The evidence in this investigation meant that the level of misconduct and/or mismanagement was serious enough to warrant this action.” 

He went on to say: “People generously support good causes with the clear expectation that trustees will act in the best interests of their charities. As an independent regulator, it is vital that we uphold and protect this trust, including by taking robust regulatory action where appropriate, based on firm evidence.” 

Clearly in this case much has gone wrong in a very short period of time. The key lesson is that trustees are legally required to responsibly manage their charity’s resources and ensure accountability at all times. Ultimate responsibility falls on their shoulders, so it’s crucial to have clear and robust financial controls in place which are designed and implemented to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. They should give the charity’s assets the vital protection they need from both internal and external risk factors. 

For all charity trustees there is much to learn and stay on top of. Last year The Charity Commission published its updated guidance for charities, CC8, which is a good starting point for trustees who need a refresher or for new trustees.  

Charities need systems and controls which are reviewed regularly and if your charity hasn’t yet carried out a financial systems check, then you can download our checklist to help you to get started, here. 

There are many lessons to be learnt from this case. All charities need trust and goodwill, so it is important to ensure your charity is in the strongest position to ensure it starts off and remains compliant to be successful in the future. 

Download our Charities Financial Systems Checklist here.

If you have any concerns or questions about topics mentioned in this article, contact Audit and Assurance Partner and Head of Charities and Not for Profit Sam Rouse here.