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Housing charity sanctioned by Charity Commission for misconduct and mismanagement

The Charity Commission has sanctioned a sheltered accommodation charity in Bristol after an investigation found that it had failed to report the deaths of people under its care as well as instances of misconduct by former directors.

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Bristol (picture: Getty)
Bristol (picture: Getty)
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Housing charity sanctioned by Charity Commission #ukhousing

A housing charity based in Bristol has been sanctioned and heavily criticised by the Charity Commission after it failed to report deaths at one of its premises #ukhousing

An inquiry into Bristol Sheltered Accommodation and Support (BSAS) found that a number of former trustees were responsible for “misconduct and mismanagement in the administration of the charity”.

The misconduct included unauthorised payments of almost £50,000, which were made to two trustees, as well as long-running management failings.

The commission has issued the charity with an official warning to address past failings in its administration and two of the charity’s former trustees have signed voluntary undertakings not to serve as trustees for a period variously of four and five years.

The Charity Commission inquiry followed the deaths of five residents at one of BSAS’ former properties, Wick House in Bristol. All of the deaths occurred after 2014.

The commission’s report was critical of the trustees’ failure to show that they had addressed the lessons from serious incidents involving the well-being of beneficiaries, including their failure to report the deaths of residents to the regulator.

Two new trustees were appointed in March this year and according to the Charity Commission “have positively engaged” with the regulator.

The commission said the case highlighted wider issues around the oversight of supported accommodation, which it is discussing with government and other decision-makers.

The commission’s report is also critical of the trustees’ failure to report serious incidents to the commission, despite repeated regulatory advice on their duties in this regard.


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The regulator cited a number of examples, notably the trustees’ failure to report the death of a resident in November 2016; the suspension by Bristol City Council of housing benefit payments for the residents at BSAS’ Shepherd Hall facility in March 2018; notice by the landlord of Shepherd Hall that the charity vacate the property, and the closure of the same property in December 2018.

Amy Spiller, head of the investigations team at the Charity Commission, whose team led the inquiry into BSAS, said: “It is clear from our investigation that this charity was mismanaged over a long period of time and that its trustees repeatedly disregarded regulatory advice and were receiving unauthorised payments.

“All charities should be managed with care and probity, and residents of Wick House and their families have been let down. We have held the charity to account for these failings.

“The public expect charities that work with vulnerable people to demonstrate that the protection and welfare of their beneficiaries is a priority. The trustees in this case could not show that they had taken these incidents seriously, and had not reported all of the deaths of the people in their care to the commission.”

BSAS has been approached for comment.

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