The minister for civil society has urged the UK’s only national miners’ charity to “strengthen its engagement” with its beneficiaries after concerns were raised in parliament about its financial practices.
Stephanie Peacock was responding to a written question from North Northumberland MP David Smith, who had asked her department to assess “the adequacy of the distribution of financial awards” by the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation (CISWO).
Smith’s question followed a BBC investigation earlier this year, which reported concerns from some ex-miners and their families that CISWO had not reinvested locally enough of £12.2m generated by the sale of 27 social welfare sites over the past 14 years.
Barnsley South MP Peacock said: “As an MP representing a mining community and previous member of the Coalfields Communities APPG, I understand the concerns raised about the performance of CISWO.
“As a constituency MP I have spoken to both ex-miners and stakeholders about the practices of CISWO.
“I would strongly encourage CISWO to strengthen its engagement with the coalfield communities that it was established to support.”
Peacock added that she had met the Charity Commission recently to discuss CISWO’s support for coal mining communities.
The commission confirmed to Civil Society that the meeting had taken place last month and that it was engaging with the charity’s trustees.
However, the regulator said it had not opened an investigation into the charity.
‘Unfounded criticisms’
CISWO has been criticised by MPs before in recent years, with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coalfield Communities raising similar concerns in 2023.
Its report that year said: “When land or buildings are sold off by CISWO the monies appear not to be retained locally or returned to charitable bodies that have previously made a financial input.”
Meanwhile, Pontypridd MP Alex Davies-Jones urged the former government last year to look into the charity’s “woeful and appalling operation”.
Responding to Peacock’s recent comments, CISWO’s chief executive Nicola Didlock said it had made the commission aware of “unfounded criticisms of the charity regarding how its charitable activity is being misrepresented both by the media and by some MPs”.
She said: “The Charity Commission has informed us that it has no concerns about CISWO’s activities, and we continue to try to engage MPs and other interested parties to address any misconceptions they may have.”
Didlock added that CISWO gave around £350,000 in grants in 2024 and supported over 2,100 people and 200 mining charities.
“We are fully engaged with stakeholders in mining communities and would welcome any MP to meet with us to discuss our work,” she added.
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