Big Society Network chair’s company gave £64k to Conservative Party

28 Jul 2014 News

Martyn Rose, chair, Big Society Network

A company owned by the chair of Big Society Network donated services totalling more than £54,000 to the Conservative Party just before and after the last election.

According to searchthemoney.com, which records Conservative Party funding, Martyn Rose Ltd made four non-cash donations ranging from £4,680 to £26,975 between December 2009 and June 2010.

Three of the donations were described as “staff costs” while the fourth and smallest, for £4,680, was for “consultancy services”.

Martyn Rose Ltd also gave £10,000 cash to the party in 2004.
 
Shortly after the coalition gained power in the 2010 election, Big Society Network was set up as an independent company and Martyn Rose was appointed as its chair in August 2010.

Despite insisting it would receive no public funds BSN went on to win at least £3m of government and lottery funding.

Martyn Rose did not respond to enquiries from Civil Society News but told The Independent that he had no memory of the payment.  He said it was possible “one of my companies did work on its behalf” and added that he had personally put in £200,000 into the Big Society Network which he had not got back.

Last year, Rose issued a comprehensive statement to Civil Society News, insisting that BSN had been shown no special treatment by the government or BIG. Read the statement here.

The Charity Commission has requested more information from Big Society Network as part of its investigation into the charity's apparent misuse of a restricted grant, revealed by Civil Society News in February.

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