Charity Commission caseload issues continue

The Charity Commission's annual report for the year ending 31 March 2026 describes a continually increasing caseload and the subsequent decrease in response rates, which is being felt across the charity sector.

The Commission saw a 19.6% increase in applications to register a charity compared with the year before, up from 9,836 to 11,759. The number of new charities actually registered, however, fell from 5,046 to 4,650. It's unclear how many of those not registered were rejected, withdrawn, or delayed into the next reporting year.

Inquiry powers were used 1,608 times, almost double the year before, though the number of statutory inquiries opened dropped from 112 to 69. The Commission continues to use its powers to disqualify (25 down from 37 last year) and issue Official Warnings (44 up from 38 last year).

Another trend for the Commission to contend with is the increasing number of complaints it is receiving about charities, in part related to the hostile environment in which charities are currently operating. Such complaints divert Commission resources from other areas of charity engagement.

Managing these increases has meant that response times have plummeted from where they used to be. The Commission is well aware of the impact this is having on charities and has said it is working to address its capacity issues.

In the meantime, those wishing to register a new charity, or charities requiring input from the Commission, such as its consent to change charitable objects, or to pay a trustee, face long waiting times which need to be factored in, where possible, to their overall plans.