High-risk charity compliance cases during this year’s general election period fell by more than 60 per cent compared with during the 2019 election campaign, the Charity Commission has found.

The regulator said today it opened a total of 34 compliance cases during this year’s general election period – from 22 May to 4 July – with just 14 being assessed as being of higher risk.

This was a decrease of more than 60 per cent when compared with the 2019 pre-election period, when 38 high-risk cases were dealt with by the commission.

The 34 new compliance cases came from a variety of sources, it said, including submitted complaints, serious incident reports from charities and cases that were identified by the commission itself. Out of these new compliance cases, just one is yet to be resolved.

Despite the lower number of high-risk cases, the number of serious incident reports received by the regulator was higher than in 2019. 

The commission said this was a “positive sign” that trustees were more aware of the importance of informing the regulator when something had gone wrong and what steps the charity was taking to address it.

During this pre-election period, the regulator also continued work on 12 more complex cases relating to campaigning and political activity that existed before 22 May, the majority of which are still ongoing.

The regulator received further complaints relating to two of these cases during the pre-election period, which were assessed as part of the existing cases.

The commission said it also responded to 35 charities that proactively contacted the regulator through its customer service team to seek advice about the rules in relation to campaigning and political activity. 

The majority of the charities that the regulator engaged with during this time had an income of more than £1m a year and it said there was no predominance of charities with a particular purpose.

In its engagement with charities during the pre-election period, the commission identified three key themes: charity leaders expressing support for a political party or candidates, visits to charities by prospective candidates, and charities’ use of social media in campaigning.

The regulator found some instances of charities or their trustees explicitly supporting particular candidates in the pre-election period, adding that the commission took regulatory action to ensure this was rectified quickly.

It found that a number of faith-based organisations supported candidates based on their stance on the conflict in Israel and Gaza, adding that the majority of these cases were still ongoing due to their complexity.

The regulator said it took a “proactive approach” to support charities during the election period, having published a dedicated general election landing page detailing guidance for charities during elections, which was visited more than 6,000 times. 

It also produced a guide for candidates on the rules and wrote to political parties to share this.

The regulator has praised the sector for its conduct during this period, with its chair Orlando Fraser saying the reduction in high-risk case numbers was a “true testament to the constructive and lawful way the sector has engaged with debates on the issues they champion”. 

He said: “A general election is a critical moment for charities which provide vital insight on how to address issues facing our society. From the outset, we’ve highlighted the valuable role of charities. 

“I have also set out our expectation that they take the lead in encouraging debates that are held with respect, tolerance and consideration of others at a time when, sadly, this is not always the case in public discourse.

“Many charities have effectively used their voices with confidence while following electoral and charity law – supported by our published advice and guidance. We will continue to use our voice to explain charities’ right to campaign lawfully.”