Charity Commission reports on dominant trustees

The latest annual Charity Commission report has highlighted concerns about dominant trustees and how their control or excessive input can lead to serious mistakes being made by charities.  

However it is not just charity trustees who should be vigilant to dominant characters as this is something that can affect every trust where a particular trustee, or even the settlor, tries to use their influence over others potentially to the detriment of the trust and beneficiaries.   

The impact of dominant individuals is one of those underlying factors that we know can hinder good governance. Strong leadership is important, and often charities rely on the passion, drive and volunteer time of key individuals but when they are allowed excessive power or influence within a charity, the other trustees are likely to disengage, fail to contribute to or challenge ideas or decisions.”