York parish churches in Charity Commission finance probe

A church group in York is being investigated by the Charity Commission after “serious concerns” were raised over its finances.

The commission is investigating the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Holy Trinity, which includes the churches of St Martin-cum-Gregory and Holy Trinity on Micklegate.

It launched the inquiry after the charity, whose working name is Holy Trinity Micklegate PCC, failed to submit annual accounts for the years ending 31 December 2022 and 2023.

The BBC has approached the church charity for comment.

The commission said the statutory inquiry was escalated after a report from the current trustees highlighted concerns about the charity’s previous financial management.

It would look at the administration, governance and management of the church charity – and particularly whether it was being managed “in accordance with its governing document and has a sufficient number of willing and capable trustees,” the commission said.

The commission will examine whether the charity has “appropriate and robust financial controls”.

It will investigate any potential conflicts of interest and whether there has been any “unauthorised personal benefit”.

It will also assess whether the charity had suffered any financial loss through the trustees’ misconduct or mismanagement.

The scope of the inquiry could be extended if “additional regulatory issues emerge”, it added.

The commission said a report would be published detailing the issues and any action taken.