The Charity Commission has removed 15 charities from its register following an investigation into organisations that had failed to file accounts on time.
Its ongoing “double defaulter” inquiry, which began in 2013, looks at charities that have not submitted their annual documents for two or more years in the past five years.
In its latest report for the period from April 2022 and March 2023, the Commission said that 40 charities submitted outstanding annual documents during the pre-inquiry stage, meaning that more than £23m of charitable income is now accounted for.
Data for 2022-23 shows that 30 charities addressed their failure to file their annual accounts, resulting in £12.4m being accounted for.
The inquiry identified 15 charities, including RSPCA Suffolk East Coast Branch, that had “ceased to exist or did not operate” and were therefore removed from the register.
In addition, the regulator opened separate inquiries into six charities during the reporting period due to “serious regulatory concerns”. These include the Dudley Central Mosque and Muslim Community Centre and Children Care Centre.
It said: “The trustees of the charities, listed in Annex A and B, were in default of their legal obligations to file their annual documents and keep their registered details up to date. The Commission regards this as misconduct and/or mismanagement in the administration of the charities.
“As a result of its pre-inquiry and inquiry work during the reporting period, the Commission ensured that those charities that continue to operate complied with their legal obligations to submit their annual documents. In total, a further £36m of charitable income is now accounted for.
“The Commission also arranged for fifteen charities to be removed from the register which it considered had ceased to exist or did not operate.”
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