Probe launched into Eldonian village charity

The Charity Commission is looking at the governance of the Eldonian Community Trust

The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into a Liverpool charity over concerns about its governance.

The Eldonian Community Trust Ltd, based around the Eldonian Village in Vauxhall, was set up in 1987 to "advance education" and establish a community centre.

But the charities watchdog says it will now investigate whether the current trustees are complying with their "legal duties and obligations".

A spokesman for the trust said there were "no financial issue concerns" expressed by the commission and that it would co-operate with the inquiry.

The charity is part of a wider network of organisations linked to the Eldonian Community Village, a ground-breaking initiative dating back to the late 1970s, when local residents began re-developing their own neighbourhood.

However, questions have been raised about the sale of Eldonian Group Limited assets to private companies, including offshore companies, in 2017, after it ceased to be a subsidiary of Eldonian Community Trust.

The charity denies any wrongdoing.

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The commission said that while several entities carry the Eldonian brand, Eldonian Community Trust Ltd is the only registered charity falling within its remit.

The charity had been the subject of a regulatory compliance case since 2022, which has now progressed into a full inquiry.

In a statement, the commission said the inquiry would focus on:

• Whether trustees are complying with their legal duties over the administration, governance and management of the charity

• If the charity has a sufficient number of trustees "willing and capable" of managing it in accordance with its governing document

• If the trustees are complying with legal obligations for the "content, preparation and filing of the charity’s accounts and other information or returns".

It added that the scope of the inquiry may change if new evidence comes to light.

A spokesperson for the community trust said: "The focus of this inquiry centres around an issue of whether 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."