Charity Commission finds ‘breach’ in Actors’ Benevolent Fund election process

A Charity Commission investigation into a leadership row at the Actors’ Benevolent Fund has found there was a “breach” in the election process for its new trustees.

The row dates back to early 2022 when a group of long-standing trustees complained about former general secretary Jonathan Ellicott’s handling of the charity’s finances.

Then, in a meeting in February, ten trustees including former president Penelope Keith, and Siân Phillips and James Bolam, were removed.

A new leadership was elected in December 2022 at the charity’s AGM, but a dispute followed regarding whether they were legally trustees.

A spokesperson for the Charity Commission said: "We have worked extensively over recent months to help the Actors’ Benevolent Fund overcome a bitter dispute that has not served the interests of the charity’s members or beneficiaries and has been harmful to the charity’s reputation and its ability to operate effectively. 

"Through our investigations, we have concluded that, while there was a breach in the process of the trustee election held at the charity’s AGM in December 2022, those who received the most votes should now be appointed as trustees."

The breach was a decision to close, rather than adjourn, the charity’s AGM.

The Charity Commission spokesperson added: "To allow the charity to operate, we have therefore used our powers to appoint as trustees those individuals who received the most votes from the membership.”