Lord Hodgson and NCVO will host a roundtable next month to start discussions over charities paying towards the running of the Charity Commission, Paula Sussex told the Charity Finance Summit.

Speaking at the Civil Society Media event in London this morning, Sussex, chief executive of the Charity Commission, said that discussions over how charities could supply funding towards the Commission are well underway.

In response to a question from the audience about the possibility of fining charities that fail to file their accounts on time, Sussex said: "That's very propitious of you, sir.

"If we take it a bit wider, there is the concept which might send a ripple around the audience, where the sector might in some shape form or guise provide funding to the Commission. And I am delighted to say that next month Lord Hodgson is going to facilitate a roundtable with NCVO on just this topic.  The topic of fines, or charges for services, or subscriptions, as many regulators have - that practice will be covered in that workshop.

"So it's a very good point but not a fast-moving point, you'll see the debate move at the speed of a glacier I think over the next two years."

Andrew Hind, a previous chief executive of the Commission and editor of Charity Finance, chaired the event and told delegates that he agreed with Sussex on the prospect of charities partly funding the regulator.  

"I will nail my colours to the mast to very much support some sort of formula that would enable the sector to make a contribution to the funding of its own regulator. I think it is interesting to do that and we need a strong regulator," he said.

Williams Shawcross, the Commission's chair, has said previously that charities with income of more than £100,000 should have to contribute to the regulator's funding.

Additional reporting by Tania Mason.