New Year Message from Northern Ireland’s Chief Charity Commissioner

As we begin the New Year, I would like to take this opportunity to send my warmest wishes to all for the months ahead.  

I know that 2023 was a period of great challenge, particularly within the charity sector, as we all continued to navigate the cost-of-living crisis. For many charities, dealing with the pressures between income which is falling in very real terms against rising costs, staff shortages and increased demand for services has been particularly difficult. Unfortunately, as we go into 2024, there looks to be little easement ahead. And yet, Northern Ireland’s charities are driving forward, showing their resilience, fortitude and innovation. While they may feel they go unnoticed, or unheard, I, my fellow Commissioners and staff understand and appreciate the challenges charities are facing, as well as the support, services and public benefit they provide. I thank them all for their service in recent years, and I hope they know the Commission is here, as an open and enabling regulator, to guide and support where we can.  

At the Commission, we too have been moving forward. In line with recommendations from the Independent Review of Charity Regulation, charity registration has been a priority. 2023 saw the phasing out of the combined list replaced with a new list of applications in progress and information on current wait times to be contacted for registration, which we hope will prove useful.  

At the beginning of 2024, there were just under 8,000 charities on the Northern Ireland register of charities, with over 30,000 annual monitoring returns having been published, reporting a cumulative gross income of over £14.2billion. This highlights the vital - and growing - resource the register of charities has become. In fact, as the new year begins, some 2,262 charities (which had a financial year ending 31 March 2023) should be preparing to submit their accounts and reports by the end of January – adding yet further information to the register. 

We have also been busy preparing for the launch of a new traffic light display on the register of charities, which will highlight in “Green” charities which submit their annual reports and accounts on time (those overdue 14 days or less will be marked as “Amber”, or “Red” for more than 14 days). This new display will support the public, including funders, in undertaking checks on charities, increasing the transparency of individual charities and the sector.  

Our new concerns smart form continues to support those who wish to raise a concern about a charity with us, guiding them in providing the information and evidence we need. We have also been looking at ways to improve and update our website, we have increased the membership of our stakeholder forum and, in December, we joined forces with the charity regulators in Scotland, England and Wales to issue a joint letter to urge the UK’s main high street banks to take action to help hard-pressed charities. 

This is just a snapshot of our work over the past year, and we certainly have many plans and aims ahead for the next 12 months. Our annual public meeting will be held on the morning of Wednesday, 31 January at Riddel Hall in Belfast. I hope many of you will be able to join us in person as we discuss both the achievements and challenges to date, as well as what lies ahead for charity regulation in Northern Ireland.  

Finally, as I wish you all every success in 2024, I hope that you, along with me, are looking forward to the year with a renewed sense of accomplishment and optimism for the future.  

Gerard McCurdy, Chief Commissioner, Charity Commission for Northern Ireland