Press release: Commission appoints interim manager to education charity

The Charity Commission has appointed an interim manager to Grove Mountain (1162684) due to continued concerns over the management of the charity.

Interim managers are appointed to take over the running of a charity where the Commission has identified misconduct and/or mismanagement, or there is a need to protect the charity’s property.

The Commission opened a statutory inquiry into Grove Mountain on 11 August 2017 to examine regulatory concerns including the financial management at the charity, specifically whether: the charity has been operating for exclusively charitable purposes, adequate financial controls have been applied and if the trustees have complied with their legal duties to ensure that the charity is administered, governed and managed appropriately.

The Commission is concerned that two of the trustees, who have been in office since the inquiry was opened, were responsible for the misconduct and/or mismanagement and exposed the charity’s property to undue risk. They also failed to comply with directions issued during the course of the inquiry.

The Commission has therefore made an order under Section 76(3)(g) of the Charities Act 2011 to appoint Adam Stephens of Smith & Williamson LLP to the role of interim manager. The appointment was made on 19 October 2018.

The interim manager takes on full control of the administration and management of the charity to the exclusion of the trustees until the Commission makes a further order. His duties include taking any steps necessary to secure the property of the charity and considering the future viability of the charity.

The Commission’s inquiry continues.

Ends

Notes to Editors

1. This appointment is a temporary and protective power that will be reviewed at regular intervals. It will continue until the Commission makes a further Order for its variation or discharge.
2. It is the Charity Commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries are available on GOV.UK.
3. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. For more information see the about us page on GOV.UK.