Fraser sets out intention to lead ‘fair, balanced & independent’ Commission
Melanie May | 5 May 2022 | News
New Charity Commission Chair Orlando Fraser has given his inaugural speech in the role, setting out his intention to lead a Commission that is ‘fair, balanced and independent’ – tough on intentional wrongdoers, and more understanding of honest mistakes.
Speaking at yesterday’s Trustee Exchange Conference in London, Fraser set out his priorities after speaking about his 30 years of volunteering and his other experience, which includes being on the Advisory Board of NCVO and a five-year stint as a Board member at the Commission under William Shawcross.
Fraser said that under his leadership, he intended the Commission to offer a fair legal process to all, to strike a balance between being ‘robust and benign’ in its dealings with charities, and to act independently ‘without fear or favour from any other entity, whether it be Government, party politicians, beneficiaries or indeed the sector.’
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He said:
“You can expect that the Commission, under me, will deal commensurately, and, if needed, severely, with the intentional wrongdoers, the fraudsters, the extremists, the aggressors, and the grossly negligent – all of whom, in their own way, are poisoning charitable status for everyone else.
“But equally, there are other occasions when problems are innocent or not material, when we have to remember that we are mostly dealing with volunteers trying overall to do great things, and we can be more benign.”
“No matter how successful the charitable endeavour, we all know that the best laid plans go astray sometimes.
“So, rather than criticise an otherwise successful charity excessively for honest and reasonable mistakes, I will be keen for the Commission to focus on supporting trustees in getting it right, when things don’t go exactly to plan – as they often don’t.
“So, there will be occasions when the Commission will be very robust, but equally you will see a supportive side to us – it is a question of achieving the right overall balance over time between challenge and encouragement, and it is something to which I want the Commission to pay attention.”
Fraser also said that the Commission must ensure it is available and responsive to trustees, and offer guidance and services that are readily accessible.
He finished by asking trustees to consider two areas in their own work – how they manage their charity’s resources, and how they recruit new trustees. Referring to this time of rising living costs and other crises, he advised extra caution in managing resources, and asked trustees to also ensure all recruitment drives are as inclusive and diverse as possible.
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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.