Charity Commission publishes report on Waltham Forest Islamic Association inquiry

28 June 2010

The Charity Commission, the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, has published a report on its inquiry into the Waltham Forest Islamic Association, (registered charity no. 270323). The charity runs the Walthamstow Mosque, also known as the Lea Bridge Road Mosque, in North-East London.

The inquiry was opened after concerns were raised about the purchase of a property for charitable purposes by the group acting as the committee running the charity. The Commission had repeatedly advised this group that their term of office had ended and they were not validly appointed trustees. As this acting committee did not have any authority to purchase a property using a significant amount of the charity's funds, the inquiry’s focus was to protect and ensure the proper use of the charity’s assets. The details of the Commission's inquiry and its full findings are set out in the report published today.

In addition to presenting the findings of the Commission's inquiry, the report also identifies issues for the wider sector which relate to the matters addressed in this case. The report highlights the fact that every charity must have validly appointed trustees who are responsible for its overall management and administration. Trustees must ensure that they act at all times in accordance with their governing document. Where a charity's membership elects the trustees to serve for a specific period of time, it is important that serving trustees put in place procedures for an election to be carried out in accordance with the governing document of the charity before their term of office ends.

Full details of the investigation can be found on the Charity Commission's website - http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/Our_regulatory_activity/Compliance_reports/inquiry_reports/wfia.aspx

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