The Charity Commission said it has “closed its engagement” with a charity set up by the minister for international trade, Liam Fox, that was accused of failing to deliver its launch aims.
The charity Give Us Time was subject to an investigation by the news site BuzzFeed in July, amid allegations that it failed to deliver on claims made during several high-profile publicity campaigns.
Today, a spokesman for the Charity Commission told Civil Society News, the charity’s actions did “not give rise to regulatory concerns for the Commission”.
The charity was set up by Fox on 2012, with the aim of giving free holidays to the families of military personnel. The charity has also been a recipient of Libor funding from the Treasury.
But according to BuzzFeed, eighteen months after the charity’s launch, it had paid for just five families to go on holiday, despite claiming shortly after its launch that some “300 weeks or six years” of free accommodation had already been secured.
During its launch campaign the charity hosted several high-profile events attended by David Cameron and George Osborne.
In July, BuzzFeed alleged the charity had paid for the flights of two of Fox’s staff members, despite not paying for the flights of the military families themselves. It also said the charity had helped fewer than 130 families in total over its three-year operational period – less than half as many week-long trips that Fox said were donated in the charity’s first month alone.
But today, the Charity Commission confirmed it was satisfied that the charity was being run above board.
“The charity cooperated fully with the Commission in their response,” the spokesman said. “Give Us Time informed the Commission that the charity paid for flights for charity staff and volunteers, as well as the military families in order to support their visit to Bulgaria as is usual practice. The charity has informed the Commission that the two individuals mentioned in the news article took part in the visit as volunteers in a personal and private capacity.
“Further concerns were raised by Buzzfeed News in relation to the charity’s expenditure on charitable activities and spending at the charity. The Commission asked the charity for further information on its charitable activities and investments, and was satisfied that there were no regulatory concerns in relation to these matters. The Commission has now closed its engagement.”
Fox has a long running history of charity grievances. His relationship with another charity Afghan Heroes, soured in 2014 after a Charity Commission investigation over “unmanaged conflicts of interest, unauthorised trustee benefits and financial mismanagement”.
The investigation prompted Fox to step down as patron, citing a “breakdown of trust” after the charity failed to inform him of the investigation.
He has also been involved with several political scandals, including the MP expenses scandal in 2009 – in which he was found to have the largest over-claim. In 2011, he resigned as defence secretary over allegations he gave his close friend Adam Werrity – who was also the only staff member of his failed charity Atlantic Bridge – inappropriate access to the Ministry of Defence.
According to the Give Us Time’s annual accounts, its last reported income was £645,315 for the year ending 30th September 2015. But expenditure was just £160,022 for the same year.
A spokeswoman for the charity told Civil Society News it was "naturally disappointed to be the subject of incorrect and wholly unwarranted allegations".
"The trustees are pleased but not at all surprised that the Charity Commission is satisfied matters are in order and has closed its case. The charity has operated to the highest standards of governance and has been advised throughout its life by senior professionals from highly respected organisations across several disciplines including charity law from Janet Turner QC, who whilst at Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP both spoke at conferences organised by Civil Society and authored expert advisory content for your publication."
