New charity investigation: Royal Air Force Mess Charities
New statutory class inquiry opened into Royal Air Force Mess Charities.
The Charity Commission (‘the commission’), the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, opened a statutory class inquiry [2] into Royal Air Force (‘RAF’) mess charities on 26 May 2016.
There are 61 RAF mess charities based in the UK, with a further number based overseas. They are established to promote military efficiency, through the provision of amenities, facilities and services for service personnel. [3]
The commission was notified by the managing trustee of 2 RAF mess charities [4] of a fraud carried out by a contractor’s employee at RAF Honington; the full extent of the fraud was not known at that time. The contractor’s employee, who worked on behalf of the 2 mess charities, later pleaded guilty to fraud by abuse of position involving more than £72,000 and was sentenced to 18 months in May 2016.
The level of loss was significant for the 2 mess charities at RAF Honington, which have a combined annual income of approximately £225,000. The losses, which occurred over a period of at least 2 years, raise serious regulatory concerns. The inquiry will consider whether adequate steps were taken to safeguard the funds of the 2 mess charities.
In addition to the financial losses, the incident had a serious impact on the ability of the 2 mess charities to prepare, maintain and preserve accurate accounting records. As a result the RAF Honington mess charities did not fully comply with their legal obligations under the Charities Act 2011, including failing to file accounts with the commission for the last three years.
All RAF messes have standardised financial control systems and we therefore want to satisfy ourselves that similar problems have not arisen, and do not arise, in other RAF mess charities.
To do so we will enquire as to:
- whether, and to what extent, other losses have occurred at other messes
- if so, whether adequate steps were or are being taken to recover any such losses and the adequacy of serious incident reporting by the managing trustees of registered RAF mess charities
- the adequacy of the RAF mess charities’ control procedures and practices
It is the commission’s policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing what issues the inquiry looked at, what actions were undertaken as part of the inquiry and what the outcomes were. Reports of previous inquiries are available on GOV.UK.
Further information about registered RAF mess charities can be viewed using the commission’s online charity search tool.
Ends
PR 36/16
Notes to editors
- The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work, see our annual report.
- Section 46 of the Charities Act 2011 gives the commission the power to institute inquiries.The commission may also open inquiries into groups of charities; these are known as ‘class’ inquiries. The opening of an inquiry gives the commission access to a range of investigative, protective and remedial legal powers.
- RAF mess charities with an annual income below £100,000 are known as ‘excepted’ charities, that is they are excepted from the requirement to register with the commission and to routinely send annual returns, reports and accounts to the commission. RAF mess charities with an annual income above £100,000 are required under the Charities Act 2011 to register with the commission. All RAF mess charities, whether excepted or registered, are subject to the commission’s jurisdiction.
- RAF Honington Officers’ Mess (registered charity number 1131112) and RAF Honington Sergeants’ Mess (registered charity number 1131113).
- To search for charities on our online register go to GOV.UK.
- The commission’s decision to announce the opening of a statutory inquiry is based on whether it is in the public interest to do so and whether it supports our objective to increase public trust and confidence in charities.
- RAF Mess Fund charities in the inquiry include:
| Unit | Location | Officers’ Mess | Sergeants’ Mess | Joint Mess |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension Island Base | Overseas | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Brunssum | Overseas | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| DMRC Headley Court | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| DNBC Winterbourne Gunner | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| JSU Corsham | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| MOD Boscombe Down | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| MOD Manston | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Mount Pleasant | Overseas | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Naples | Overseas | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| RAF Akrotiri | Overseas | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| RAF Benson | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Boulmer | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Brize Norton | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Coningsby | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Cosford | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Cranwell | 3 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Digby | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Fylingdales | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Halton | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Henlow | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF High Wycombe | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Honington | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Leeming | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Linton-on-Ouse | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Lossiemouth | Scotland | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| RAF Marham | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Northolt | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Odiham | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Scampton | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Shawbury | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Spadeadam | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| RAF St Mawgan | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| RAF Valley | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Waddington | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Wittering | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| RAF Wyton | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Ramstein | Overseas | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Read more information on the commission’s policy and factors taken into account when deciding to issue a press release.
Press office
Email pressenquiries@charitycommission.gov.uk
Out of hours press office contact number: 07785 748787