HMRC’s policy adviser on charities has emphasised the scale of the charity fraud and tax-avoidance problem – by describing it as an industry of its own.

While management in the charity sector has changed significantly in the past few decades, a reluctance to invest in governance has led to a stagnation of board structure and a lack of diversity, according to Dame Mary Marsh’s review of skills and leadership in the social sector.

Jonathan Jenkins, chief executive of the Social Investment Business, is reviewing his use of social media in order to minimise perceptions that he has social relationships with people from charities that receive statutory funds on his recommendation.

The prospect of a single charity registration process for both HMRC and the Charity Commission is not far off, Charities Act reviewer Lord Hodgson hinted to a conference audience yesterday.