Comments made by William Shawcross undermined public trust and confidence says SCVO chief executive
A Scottish third sector leader has launched a blistering attack on the chair of the Charity Commission calling for his immediate resignation following comments made to a national newspaper.
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations chief executive Martin Sime (pictured below) said, in a letter to William Shawcross, that his remarks in an interview with The Times exposed “prejudices” to an extent he was no longer fit to hold office.
Shawcross criticised everything from chuggers to the Islamicisation of charities before rounding on Oxfam for being overly political and animal welfare charity the RSPCA for going beyond its remit in the article.
He also warned that if self-regulation of fundraising failed, then the Charity Commission would step in, despite a review currently underway.
However, despite the commission limited to regulating in England and Wales, Sime said Shawcross’s remarks “go way beyond any interpretation of individual national regulatory frameworks” and seemed designed to “undermine public trust and confidence in charities wherever they are located.”
He added: “I find it inconceivable that you should cast aspersions on the strategies and workings of individual organisations which have broken no rules or committed any crimes.
“Your rehash of various scare stories which are characterised by a lack of evidence, and the utterly false conclusions you draw from one reported incidence of fundraising abuse, do not speak of an individual who is capable of conducting the affairs of the Charity Commission in a fair and impartial matter.”
In the no holds barred interview, Shawcross said that while the sector had weathered the recession particularly well, it still faced a number of challenges.
He warned that he would get tough on charities that fell foul of regulation.
Touching on the recent furore over direct fundraising following the death of poppy seller Olive Cooke, Shawcross said the watchdog would take over control if self regulation failed.
But if the government commissioned review led by Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, failed to reign in rogue fundraisers, then he promised the commission would intervene.
"If he concludes that self-regulation by charities cannot work, then government would have to consider whether the Charity Commission should regulate fundraising," Shawcross said.
Charities becoming too political was also a concern, said Shawcross. Oxfam last year was warned by the commission after it listed a number of issues it didn’t like about government policy.
The commissioner then rounded on the RSPCA as an organisation that had lost its way in terms of governance with concerns over the way it is being run.
Shawcross has been an unpopular and often controversial appointment since he was installed in the post in 2012.
Francis Maude, minister for the Cabinet Office, announced in February the chair was to be re-elected for a further three years, a decision which was roundly criticised by leading sector figures.
Sir Stephen Bubb, chief executive of the charity leaders body Acevo, accused Shawcross in June of “following the lead set by lurid coverage in the press” when it came to clamping down on rogue fundraisers.
Sime concluded the letter by saying the third sector faced significant challenges to accountability and legitimacy on a daily basis “because all of our work is underpinned by public trust and confidence. That is precisely what makes your recent intervention inexcusable.”
Shawcross and the Charity Commission have been asked to comment.
