The report gives an overview of the charity sector at the end of 2024. The Commission has reported that there were 170,755 charities registered at the end of December 2024, with annual income of £99.6 billion and annual expenditure of £99.06 billion. Exactly 3,839 charities were registered in the reporting period and 3,148 charities were removed. There were 7,249 applications to register charities. There are currently over 920,000 trustees registered with the Commission and 6.7 million volunteers supporting these charities.
Regulatory action
In 2024, the Commission opened 3,357 regulatory cases and 3,327 cases closed.
The Commission requires charity trustees to report serious incidents, whether actual or alleged, which result in or risks significant:
- harm to a charity's beneficiaries, staff, volunteers or others who come into contact with the charity through its work;
- loss of a charity's money or assets;
- damage to a charity's property; or
- harm to a charity's work or reputation.
It was found that 2,620 serious incident reports were received by the Commission in the reporting period.
The Commission also requires independent examiners or auditors to report matters of material significance. This could cover dishonesty and fraud, internal controls and governance, money laundering, criminal activity and support of terrorism. 346 such reports were made.
Statutory inquiries
A statutory inquiry is a legal power enabling the Commission to formally investigate matters of regulatory concern within a charity and to use protective powers for the benefit of the charity and its beneficiaries, assets or reputation. An inquiry will help identify the extent of any administrative misconduct or mismanagement, assess any risk to the charity and its assets, and decide if the Commission needs to act. Fifty statutory inquiries were opened in the reporting period.
'Revitalising Trusts' programme
This programme supports charities that have spent less than 30% of their income in the past 5 years. In particular, those who struggle to recruit new trustees, spend income, identify beneficiaries and find time to run the charity effectively. Under the programme, 172 charities were supported to close down or change their purposes to continue working more effectively. Exactly £7.73 million in assets were transferred to other charities under this scheme.
This piece was co-authored by Rebecca Willis, a trainee solicitor at the time of writing.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
