Dame Suzi Leather has said that cuts to the Charity Commission’s funding mean “a violence is being done to the organisation”.

The Commission chair made the comment to staff during  meetings to discuss the cuts, which will see the regulator’s funding fall by a third in real terms over the next four years.

In Sam Younger's report to this week’s board meeting, the Commission chief executive reveals that he and Leather attended meetings in London, Taunton and Liverpool in the week following the spending review announcement, with he and board member Simon Jones visiting Taunton a week later.  He quoted Leather as having made the comment during the meetings.

Referring to the regulator’s planned strategic review, which will decide how to deal with the cuts, he said: “In all of these meetings we were impressed by the readiness of staff to engage, even though they are all aware that in 18 months’ time around one in three will no longer have a job at the Commission.”

Student protests

Meanwhile, Younger’s report sheds light on the effect of the student protests on 10 November, revealing that students broke into the Commission’s offices, though staff were safely evacuated and “damage was relatively light compared to other floors”.

However, the offices were closed for two days due to repairs and investigations by police.

Elsewhere, Younger reaffirms the Commission’s intention to launch the new charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) structure early next year.

He says he expects the Office for Civil Society to make an announcement in January about the timetable, subject to receiving the necessary parliamentary approval.

He adds: “Whilst the timetable is tight given the amount of work needed, we remain confident that we will be ready for the launch, which we expect to be in spring.”