Press release: Charity Commission to hold public meeting in Cardiff

The Charity Commission, the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, will hold its next public meeting on 29 June 2017. The meeting will take place from 11:30am to 3:30pm at Cardiff City Stadium, Leckwith Rd, Cardiff CF11 8AZ.

William Shawcross, Chairman, and Eryl Besse, Deputy Chairman, will open and chair the meeting prior to presentations from senior staff, to include a presentation from the Chief Operating Officer David Holdsworth, who will discuss the digital transformation of the Commission. There will also be a presentation by David Teague of ICO Wales.

The meeting will focus on guiding trustees and their charities through data and digital challenges, will provide updates on our key guidance for trustees, and will highlight important lessons to take home from our casework. Attendees will also be given an update on the Commission’s activities and have the opportunity to ask questions before the meeting concludes.

The event is free of charge and charity trustees, employees and advisers are urged to attend.

Please register to attend through Eventbrite. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis and are limited to 2 attendees per organisation. Members of the press are also welcome to attend and are asked to register their interest with the press office directly at pressenquiries@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk.

Papers for public meeting 29 June 2017

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Notes to editors

  1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work, see our annual report.

  2. Search for charities on our online register.




Press release: Macedonia forms a new government

Following the long-standing political crisis in Macedonia, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev has now formed a government.

Minister for Europe, Sir Alan Duncan said:

We congratulate Macedonia on forming a new government. This is an opportunity for the whole country to come together in the interests of all the citizens of Macedonia and the wider region. We are looking forward to working with the new government as it implements important reforms, in particular to strengthen the rule of law and accountability and make progress towards its goal of closer integration with Euro-Atlantic institutions.

Further information




News story: CMA considers undertakings in Autodata/Solera merger

The companies supply vehicle repair and maintenance information (RMI) platforms across the UK, which give access to digital data and are mainly used by workshops and other repairers to diagnose, service and repair vehicles.

On 26 January 2017, Solera Holdings Inc. acquired the ultimate holding company of Autodata Publishing Group Limited.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) subsequently conducted an investigation into this acquisition and found competition concerns, should the merger be allowed to proceed.

This was due to the fact the companies are the 2 main suppliers of these platforms in the UK and compete closely with each other. Other suppliers face significant barriers to entry and expansion in the UK.

Solera has since offered to overcome these concerns by selling its RMI platform in the UK, E3 Technical (which is part of CarweB), to a buyer approved in advance by the CMA. It has also offered to provide transitional support to the buyer of the divested business.

The CMA considers there are reasonable grounds for believing the undertakings offered, or a modified version of them, might be acceptable, and will open a public consultation on the undertakings in due course.

The CMA has until 27 July to consider whether to accept the undertakings, or a modified version of them, with the possibility of extending this deadline to 22 September 2017 if there are special reasons for doing so.

All information relating to the investigation is available on the case page.




Press release: New charity investigation: All Nations Community Centre

The Charity Commission, the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, has opened a statutory inquiry into All Nations Community Centre, registered charity number 1111832. The inquiry was opened on 21 March 2017.

The charity has objects to provide community activities, including educational and social support, in the Gloucestershire area.

In September 2016 the charity was included in the Commission’s class inquiry into charities that are in default for submitting their statutory accounts and returns for 2 or more financial years. The Commission requested the charity submit its accounting information for the 5 financial years ending 30 September 2011 through to 2015. The trustees failed to comply with the order.

The inquiry will look at:

  • whether All Nations Community Centre is established as a charity and is operating for the public benefit
  • the general administration, governance and management of the charity by the trustees with specific regard to the charity’s property
  • whether or not the trustees have complied with and fulfilled their duties and responsibilities as trustees under charity law

The Commission stresses that opening an inquiry is not in itself a finding of wrongdoing. The purpose of an inquiry is to examine issues in detail and investigate and establish the facts so that the regulator can ascertain whether there has been misconduct and/or mismanagement; establish the extent of the risk to the charity’s property, beneficiaries or work; decide what action needs to be taken to resolve the serious concerns, if necessary using its investigative, protective and remedial powers to do so.

It is the 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 by the Commission are available on GOV.UK.

The charity’s details can be viewed on the Commission’s online charity search tool.

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Notes to editors

  1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work, see our annual report.

  2. Search for charities on our online register.

  3. Section 46 of the Charities Act 2011 gives the Commission the power to institute inquiries. The opening of an inquiry gives the Commission access to a range of investigative, protective and remedial legal powers.

  4. The Commission’s decision to announce the opening of a statutory inquiry is based on whether it is in the public interest to do so and with consideration of our objective to increase public trust and confidence in charities.




Press release: Change of Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Philippines

2016 – 2017 Language training (Tagalog) 2012 – 2016 Madrid, Deputy Head of Mission 2008 – 2012 Bangkok, Deputy Head of Mission 2006 – 2008 FCO, Head, Economic and Central Europe Group 2004 – 2005 FCO, Director, Organisation Project 2002 – 2004 No. 10 Downing Street, International Affairs Press Officer 1999 – 2002 UK Permanent Representation to the European Union, Brussels, Spokesman 1999 NATO Headquarters, Brussels, Speechwriter, Media Operations Centre 1997 – 1999 FCO, Head, EU Enlargement section 1993 – 1997 UK Permanent Representation to the European Union, Brussels, Second Secretary (Trade Policy) 1991 – 1993 FCO, Desk Officer, European Communities (Internal) Department 1990 Joined Foreign and Commonwealth Office