CHARITIES REGULATOR IMPOSES INTERMEDIATE SANCTIONS ON GOOD AND NEW SHOP

The Good and New Charity shop in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. Pic: declan Doherty

The Charities Regulator has imposed intermediate sanctions on the Donegal-based charity, Good and New Shop (Registered Charity Number 20074432), under section 73 of the Charities Act 2009.

The Charities Regulator issued a notice to the Good and New Shop following an on-site inspection by staff from the Regulator’s compliance and enforcement unit, which found that the charity is not in compliance with its legal obligation to keep proper books of account under Section 47 of the Charities Act 2009

The notice, which was accepted by the trustees of the charity on 13 February 2018, requires the charity to: rectify the contravention no later than Monday, 26 March 2018, and adopt the following course of action for the purpose of ensuring that
the contravention does not occur again: introduce formal documented procedures for maintaining adequate accounting records; assign the task of keeping proper books of account to a person(s) with the appropriate skills and experience; with regard to financial reporting –

I. introduce regular financial reporting detailing the income and expenditure (including the nature of that income and expenditure) and the assets and liabilities of the charity, and

II. ensure all financial reports are scrutinised by the charity trustees under a standing agenda item – “financial performance and position of the charity” as part of all trustee meetings.

Failure to comply with this notice will result in the Charities Regulator bringing a prosecution against the Good and New Shop.

“While I note the good work undertaken by the charity in providing much needed transport services to cancer patients in the Donegal region, the charity trustees need to take immediate steps to ensure proper books of account are being maintained and that procedures are introduced, which will facilitate them in providing the appropriate financial scrutiny and oversight of the charity,” Charities Regulator Chief Executive John Farrelly said.

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