The Charity Commission is formally investigating the City & Guilds parent charity over concerns about a recent sale, in which most of its assets were transferred to a private company.
In October, the City & Guilds London Institute (CGLI) completed the sale of its training and awards operation to Greek language certification company PeopleCert, with the vast majority of its staff transferring across.
The commission said it was made aware of the proposed sale by the charity, and had received assurances about the trustees’ decision making, but that the sale itself did not require the regulator’s consent.
However, the commission has now announced it opened a statutory inquiry on Wednesday to examine new information that has been reported in relation to the sale.
The inquiry will examine information provided by the charity to the commission regarding the sale of the awarding, assessment, and training businesses of the charity in October 2025 to PeopleCert.
It will consider concerns raised in public reporting relating to the sale and bonuses awarded to its executives.
The commission will also look at trustees’ decision-making regarding the sale and entering into a “coexistence agreement” with the new company, including the information that they considered when making the decision.
In a statement, CGLI trustees said: “We acknowledge the Charity Commission’s statutory inquiry and are cooperating fully with their investigation.
“We remain confident that all actions taken by the trustees have been proper, transparent, and in line with our charitable purpose.
“We are committed to maintaining public trust and will continue to act in the best interests of the charity and its beneficiaries.”
CGLI has said its trustees were not involves in any decisions regarding bonuses awarded to executives.
