An investigation into the former acting chief executive of an anti-poverty charity in London has concluded and found no evidence to support anonymous claims made against him.
A group of employees at Toynbee Hall charity, which supports people facing poverty and injustice, raised concerns earlier this year about Matt Dronfield’s social media activity and wider hiring processes.
The group called Justice for Toynbee, which Civil Society understands comprises around 13 current employees, escalated its concerns to the Charity Commission after initially raising them to trustees.
However, the charity has now confirmed that an independent investigation upheld none of the allegations raised.
The commission has also said its engagement with the charity has concluded.
Trustees issued guidance
Justice for Toynbee wrote to trustees in June about Dronfield’s previous “inappropriate” social media activity following his appointment as acting CEO.
At the time, multiple screenshots of social media posts of Dronfield were seen by Civil Society showing him partially clothed.
With Dronfield also being the charity’s designated safeguarding lead, the group felt that his posts were unprofessional and “undermined trust in the charity’s safeguarding culture”.
The group also alleged that friends of his were given pay increases and promoted to senior roles in the charity.
However, the charity’s recently returned permanent CEO Rebecca Sycamore has now confirmed the outcome of an investigation it commissioned into the claims.
While the charity would not share the full findings, Sycamore said: “An independent investigation into the allegations made against acting chief executive Matt Dronfield has concluded, with none upheld and no evidence found to support the claims.
“Our focus remains on supporting people and communities when they need us most, and we’re deeply grateful to our team for their continued commitment.”
Meanwhile, the commission confirmed that the charity submitted a serious incident report relating to concerns being reported in the media.
The commission was informed by trustees that the incident was being managed appropriately, closed its case and issued guidance to trustees.
A spokesperson for the commission said: “We have assessed concerns raised about Toynbee Hall and, based on the information available to us, have issued the trustees with guidance.
“While we have not currently identified a further role for us at this time, if we receive any new concerns, we will assess these in line with our usual process.”
Dronfield declined to comment further.
