MP ‘furious’ at removal of Maltby Colliery from charity register

The Rother Valley MP says the community has been “short-changed” as substantial funds have been diverted elsewhere without any communication.

The charity was originally responsible for maintaining the recreational facilities in Maltby under a lease from The Coal Mining Charity (CISWO). It was then repossessed by CISWO in 2020 after issues were found with the site’s maintenance, upkeep and health and safety.

Earlier this month funds were transferred by the charity’s trustees from Maltby sports ground to five other charities, including two sports clubs and grounds outside the town. The same day, the Charity Commission removed Maltby sports ground from the register.

Mr Richards said: “I am furious about how these decisions were made. This is shocking: substantial funds, which should have benefitted the Maltby community have been diverted elsewhere without any communication. The people of Maltby have potentially lost a key community resource, and now the funds that should have supported local needs have been redistributed without their knowledge or involvement. This represents a serious failure of transparency and accountability, and it raises questions about the trustees’ governance and adherence to their charitable objects.

“This decision has caused a great deal of anger in my constituency. Maltby, and the sports ground in particular, are in need of investment. We simply cannot afford for such funds to leave our town. I believe it is essential that the Charity Commission fully investigates this matter and takes steps to restore the trust of the Maltby community. I will be writing to the government minister for sport and leisure on this matter as well. The public perception is that money has been taken away from Maltby without any proper oversight and this must be addressed.

“The people of Maltby deserve to know how this happened and why their community has been short-changed.”