Northern Irish regulator demands overdue accounts from 28 charities

The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland has written to more than 100 charity trustees demanding that they file their charities’ overdue accounts “or face consequences”.

The Northern Irish regulator has named the 28 charities, whose annual accounts are all more than 500 days overdue.

The tardy charities have until 17 February to submit the missing accounts or face consequences, the regulator said in a statement.

Letters sent out last month to 115 trustees representing the 28 charities said those organisations that failed to respond would be subject to enforcement proceedings in the High Court.

The 28 charities include a number of youth charities, including the Bawn Youth Club, the 1st Richhill Scout Group, the 1st Comber Scout Group and 1st Aghadowey Scout Group, as well as a number of sports groups, including the Loughside Football Club and the Errigal Amateur Boxing Club.

Myles McKeown, head of compliance and enquiries at the CCNI, said any charity not filing the required financial information by the deadline was failing to deliver the transparency and accountability required by the public.

“The orders issued to charity trustees are just the beginning of a plan of action to ensure that charity trustees comply with their legal accounting and reporting requirements,” he said.

McKeown added that all trustees should review their charity’s details on the register of charities to ensure it was not in default, and take immediate action if it was.

“It is the collective responsibility of every charity trustee to ensure the charity’s annual return, including the annual accounts and trustees’ report for the financial year, are submitted to the commission on time and in the correct format,” he said.

The charities that received the letter