MPs publish report into Charity Commission Chair appointment with formal rejection of Stowell
Melanie May | 28 February 2018 | News
The DCMS Committee has formally rejected Baroness Stowell as Chair of the Charity Commission with the publication of its report into the application process. It has also called for new powers to question Ministers in the Commons over public appointments.
In the report, the Committee elaborates further on the points in its previously published letters to the Secretary of State, and requests a response from the Secretary of State within a fortnight rather than the usual eight weeks. The Committee again expresses its concerns in the report over Baroness Stowell’s suitability for the role, particularly her perceived lack of experience and potential political impartiality issues.
On her performance in the interview, the Committee states that it found her answers vague, often lacking in detail or relevance, and that she failed to show any evidence of commitment to the sector, or any vision or action plan for the future direction of the Charity Commission.
As a result, it says:
“Our judgment is that Baroness Stowell did not demonstrate evidence of meeting the Government’s own criterion of being able to withstand public and parliamentary scrutiny. We cannot approve this appointment without being persuaded that Baroness Stowell can provide clear, relevant examples of evidence against the criteria in the job specification. The Secretary of State should consult the assessment panel once again and provide evidence to assure us that Baroness Stowell was the strongest candidate against all the required criteria, in particular her ability to withstand fierce public scrutiny.”
Recruitment process
The report also addresses the Committee’s concerns over the recruitment process and asks for more information on this process, on the other two candidates and on why there was a delay in announcing the Government’s preferred candidate.
The Committee says:
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“The fact that there was a last minute delay in the announcement of the candidate leads us to think that a candidate (other than Baroness Stowell) was put forward, and then—for some reason—was unable to take up the post of Chair. In their written evidence to us, charities allege that Baroness Stowell was not the favoured candidate of the independent assessment panel, and that there was another preferred candidate “reported to be highly experienced and politically neutral,” but this person was not selected for the role by Ministers. We cannot assess the veracity of these claims, but we are keen to understand more about the process so we can draw our own (better-informed) conclusions and perhaps help dispel suspicion – which is, after all, one of the key purposes of pre-appointment hearings.”
According to an appendix in the report, there were a number of applications. 38 were received by the deadline, nine of which were from female applicants, three were from BAME candidates, and five from candidates with a declared disability.
Of these, six were shortlisted for interview. The field of applicants selected for interview included two female candidates. There were no candidates from a declared BAME background and no candidates with a disability.
After interview, the panel were apparently unanimous in finding three candidates appointable. These candidates met with Tracey Crouch MP on 27 November 2017 before the Secretary of State made his final decision.
Chair of the Committee response
Commenting on their decision, Chair of the Committee, Damian Collins MP, said:
“Baroness Stowell, although clearly a dedicated public servant, last Tuesday failed to persuade the Committee that she would be a good candidate for this vitally important leadership role in the charity sector- especially at a time when it is in need of strong and independent leadership.
“It’s not just the DCMS Committee who feel this way – a large swathe of the voluntary sector has raised serious concerns about her lack of political neutrality, charity experience, and the sectors’ needs and challenges. Political neutrality – and the perception of political neutrality – is particularly important in the Charity sector; the Charity Commission, as a regulator, is tasked with determining whether a charity has breached the law on political purpose.
“Select Committees interview the candidate for these appointments in advance for a good reason – to help reassure the public that these important roles are subject to a fair and open process, and that we get the best person for the job. We will be taking this opportunity to work with other Committees who support our call for the ability to trigger a debate in the Commons to hold Ministers to account and allow them to defend their decisions. If the candidates have Ministers’ full support, the Government should be easily able to explain that to the House.”
The Committee has now written to the Liaison Committee to seek their support on the matter.
Main image: Baroness Stowell. Crown Copyright.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.