Charity scandals require swift and firm investigation

The role charities play in society has become so much greater in recent years.

At home, spending cuts by national and local Government have seen voluntary bodies step into the breach, helping those less fortunate than ourselves.

Further afield, environmental disasters and bloody civil wars have seen charities rush to the aid of those who can’t be helped by their own politicians.

It means the charitable sector has become big “business”. Some organisations are dealing with multi-million pound budgets and paying senior executives healthy salaries with the expectation they bring in top-level results.

In the vast majority of cases, charities continue to deliver their services with compassion, diligence and professionalism. However, in recent weeks it has become clear that those organisations are not immune from the problems that affect society at large.

First, we had Oxfam beset by a sex scandal, quickly followed by a raft of other bodies admitting they had fired workers for various types of misconduct.

The Sunday Post has previously revealed how some charity directors were paying themselves vast sums of money while as little as 13p in every pound raised was actually finding its way to the good cause involved.

Therefore, it’s vital that the bodies set up to police our charities have the funding and power to swiftly and vigorously investigate complaints as they arise.

Any delay in pursuing allegations could be catastrophic, allowing potential criminals and abusers to carry on unhindered.

Such robust action is also needed to ensure the public’s faith in charities is maintained so we continue giving to those in need.