Concerns over the governance of a charity-run Lancashire village hall have prompted further calls on the government to review the Charity Commission’s powers and capacity.
In a parliamentary debate held on Wednesday, backbench Labour MP Ashley Dalton used the case of governance concerns at Scarisbrick Village Hall, located in her constituency, to highlight concerns about the regulator’s ability to intervene effectively.
Discussing the case, Dalton said that residents in Scarisbrick had previously raised concerns about trustees’ management of the village hall, which is run by a registered charity of the same name.
Concerns included the loss of community facilities, attempts to remove a war memorial and alleged conflicts of interest.
The commission opened a compliance case into the charity running the village hall earlier this year, with Dalton saying that further concerns had been reported during its course.
Dalton said: “I appreciate that thorough investigations take time, particularly where there are complex governance issues to consider.
“However, this case illustrates the challenges of addressing concerns in a timely way, particularly where further issues and inappropriate conduct continue to emerge while an investigation is ongoing.
“Residents of Scarisbrick are concerned that the village hall will potentially be lost and its resources frittered away.”
Dalton went on to argue that the commission having the power to investigate does not necessarily mean that it has the capacity to intervene quickly or effectively enough to protect charitable assets.
Scarisbrick Village Hall has been approached for comment.
In response, civil society minister Vicky Foxcroft referred to the commission’s 25% funding uplift through the 2025 spending review.
She also confirmed that the government would carefully consider PACAC's recent recommendations for a broad review of the commission's powers, following the dispute between the regulator and the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman.
An ongoing consultation on plans to expand the commission’s disqualification powers for trustees and senior managers whose conduct promotes hatred based on race, religion or belief was also raised at the debate.
Backbench Labour MP Sam Carling questioned whether the new disqualification powers should extend beyond those three grounds to also include misogyny, homophobia and ableism, which Foxcroft said the government would consider.
The commission has been approached for comment.
