Barker Gotelee

This article is about some (but not all) of the duties and responsibilities of charitable trustees.  It is based on information that is available on the Charity Commission website.  The Charity Commission regulates charities in England and Wales.  There is a great deal of guidance and advice available on the Commission’s website at www.charitycommission.gov.uk.

Trustees are responsible for directing the affairs of the charity.  This means that trustees must be careful about delegating any of their powers.  Trustees must make sure that the charity is solvent and well run.  Good financial management is therefore an important part of trustees’ responsibilities and they should ensure that appropriate procedures are in place to safeguard charitable funds and that there is no misuse of these funds.  The charity’s spending should be used fairly amongst the various people who are qualified to benefit from the charity’s work.

Trustees must make sure that the charity complies with the law and Charity Commission requirements.  The trustees must ensure that the charity is true to its charitable purpose – its “objects”.  For example, the trustees of a charity, such as a community centre, that has been set up to benefit the residents of a particular part of Suffolk in a particular way, need to ensure that the activities of the charity are in line with these objects.  The trustees would also need to ensure that the centre is run in a way that complies with other legislation – for example, health and safety and employment law requirements.

Trustees must act with integrity and avoid personal conflicts of interest.  Trustees must use reasonable care and skill in their work as trustees, to ensure that the charity is well run and efficient.  Trustees should decide how often they need to meet in order to carry out their role properly.  This will depend in part on the activities of the particular charity.  Each trustee will need to remember that, although some day to day administration might have been delegated, the trustees are responsible for decision making.  Meetings will need to take place often enough to allow for this.

If you would like advice about your role as a charitable trustee, please contact Clare Richards at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Clare Richards

© Barker Gotelee