Charity under the microscope following tribunal case

The Charity Commission has written to the trustees of the charity, stating that the Employment Tribunal case had raised issues that were “…a cause for regulatory concern”.

Manor Residents Association, which provides courses, advice and children’s services in Hartlepool, was ordered to pay more than £8,800 to Linda Gooding, a former cleaner, by an Employment Tribunal sitting in Middlesbrough.

In addition to making a finding of unfair dismissal, the tribunal ruled that the charity had failed to pay Mrs Gooding the national minimum wage, repeatedly failed to pay her on time, had not provided her with a contract of employment and failed to provide payslips.

A spokeswoman for the Commission said it had received a complaint alerting it to the Employment Tribunal’s decision. She said that issues identified during the tribunal were a cause for regulatory concern because they could point to “…wider governance problems at the charity.”

The spokeswoman continued: “We have written to the trustees and are currently considering their response to help us establish what role, if any, there might be for us”.

Town Councillor Angela Wilcox, the manager of the Manor Residents Association, said the charity had responded to the Commission’s concerns about the case and was willing to work with the Regulator if it had any further concerns.