Charity Chats: when a good thing goes bad – what does a successful charity really look like?
After costing the taxpayer £20 million, Coventry City of Culture Trust entered administration recently, which is where our panellists turn their attentions to. They discuss this collapse and what failed. Although seen as a high profile and successful charity in its early years, the Trust had been more recently found itself in increasingly severe financial difficulties – so what went wrong and why hadn’t this been picked up earlier? Where does the accountability lie, and did those in charge follow good governance?
This matter also brings into question the role of the Charity Commission and how it monitors charities. The Commission is ‘the body that speaks for the sector’, but how well known is it and how much influence does it have?
Our panellists James Saunders, Charles Mesquita and Catherine Rustomji look at what lessons can be learnt from this and discuss what a successful charity looks like.
If you have any questions or feedback for the panel, please contact James directly.