Watchdog stopped Captain Sir Tom Moore's daughter being given top role at charity

19 February 2022, 00:21

A watchdog is investigating The Captain Tom Foundation after the charity tried to appoint the fundraisers daughter as CEO.

The watchdog confirmed a case had been opened after official accounts were made public, showing £162,336 had been splashed on "management".

According to The Independent, part of the watchdog’s case related to a request from the foundation to appoint Hannah Ingram-Moore as its CEO on a top end salary.

The foundation, which was established in May 2020 after the former army officer raised £39m for NHS charities, was blocked by the charities commission after concerns were raised that the proposal was made by trustees without a recruitment campaign or competition.

The newspaper reported the charity said that during trustees’ discussions with the watchdog, Ms Ingram-Moore "took the decision that the CEO role was not something she wished to pursue".

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Ms Ingram-Moore was originally appointed a trustee of the charity but has since resigned.

Her husband, Colin remains in post as the family’s representative.

A statement from Stephen Jones, Chair of The Board of Trustees, said: "The Foundation has engaged actively and positively with the Charity Commission since registration and any discussions are highly confidential between them and the Trustees.

"In 2021, the Foundation approached the Commission for consent (as required in law and under the Foundation's governing document) with regard to the appointment of Hannah Ingram-Moore as CEO. 

"As part of that process for consent, the Trustees undertook a formal benchmarking exercise to assess an appropriate salary for the role.

"That report made recommendations to the Trustees as to an appropriate salary (within a range) based on a spectrum of charities operating with equivalent financial positions and charitable activity. 

"This was provided to the Commission as part of the application for consent, in the interests of full disclosure, together with a proposal by the Trustees as to what the salary for the CEO role should be.

"It is the Commission's responsibility to consider and challenge any application for consent, but in any event during the Trustees discussions with the Commission, Hannah Ingram-Moore took the decision that the CEO role was not something she wished to pursue as she wanted to focus on other commitments, both personally and professionally. 

"However, she committed to support the Trustees during an interim period, subject to Commission consent being obtained."

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In a statement confirming the investigation, the Charity Commission said: "We have been in ongoing contact with the trustees of the Captain Tom Foundation on its set-up and governance arrangements and as part of this work will now assess the charity's recently submitted accounts."

It added that although a case has been launched, it does not mean any wrongdoing has been found.

Documents reveal that £54,039 has been paid to two companies run by Captain Tom’s daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, and her husband, Colin, and figures showed more money was spent on management costs than was given to charities.

From May 5, 2020 to May 31, 2021, the foundation paid grants to four charities amounting to £40,000 each but £209,433 was recorded as being spent on support costs including £162,336 on "management".

Organisations that received the grants included the Royal British Legion, Mind, Willen Hospice, and Helen and Douglas House.

Reimbursement costs of £16,097 were paid from the charity funds to Club Nook Limited, a company run by Hannah Ingram-Moore, Captain Sir Tom's daughter.

The accounts state this cost came from accommodation, security and transport, incurred when Captain Sir Tom was "travelling around the UK to promote the charitable company".

A further £37,942 was also paid to a company named Maytrix Group Limited, which is also run by Ms Ingram-Moore and her husband.

The costs are said to cover to photography, office rental, telephone and third-party consultancy costs.

Expense payments of £1,686 were also made to Ms Ingram-Moore to cover "motor, post, subscription and travel costs"