I started working as a senior manager for a large registered charity (£16m turnover) about 3years ago. Around 8 months after I started, the CEO/trustees made a decision to become a subsidiary of a non-charity housing association. The charity is very land and asset wealthy but the benefit of the housing association was to bring more expertise in housing management and maintenance services to our housing stock. 

However, the charity CEO and trustees were replaced with the housing association CEO and board who have all become trustees as well as maintaining their housing association board membership, and no independent trustees. 3 years later, we have no senior leadership team and the charity is split across 3 different directorates of a very large housing association, so there’s no oversight of the whole charity, with each section 3 management levels away from the board with which we have no contact. 

They have changed our bank accounts to which we now have no access inc bank statements which has meant we haven’t been able to apply for some funding or statutory contracts, we have no strategy that aligns with our mission, and they are diverting funds and fundraising resource to new community projects rather than core services for our beneficiaries, leaving them unfunded with a growing deficit. So to save money they are now TUPEing the remaining senior managers, support services, marketing and comms, and fundraising into the housing association, which in the case of fundraising particularly I understand will have an impact on donors in terms of who they’re donating to, who is managing the funds, no senior manager in the charity to talk to or clear charity leadership (particularly trust funders, major donors). I have considered approaching the charity commission as I am gravely concerned about the governance and leadership (or lack of) and the long term impact. But reading their guidance on what to report, I’m not sure if this would meet the threshold. 

Is anyone able to advise on what, if any, action should be taken or where I could get further confidential advice? Thank you