Public trust in charities cannot be taken for granted despite figures reaching a 10-year high, the chief executive of the Charity Commission has warned.

In one of his first speeches since taking up the role in the summer, David Holdsworth said the regulator’s ambition was for charities to remain trusted as vehicles for society’s better nature.

In August, the regulator published figures that showed charities scored an average of 6.5 out of 10 for trust among the UK public.

This figure was up from 6.3 the previous year and only slightly below the record high of 6.7 recorded in 2014.

Speaking at the Charity Law Association conference in central London yesterday, Holdsworth said: “While our research shows trust is at a 10-year high, this is not an outcome we can take for granted.

“I believe there is a role for the commission and the wider charity law community to help shape the future of charity, anticipating and responding to  wider changes in society and in public expectations.

“I want to be clear here: it’s not for charity to meet all public expectations, charity has a long and proud history of changing society and societal attitudes but it cannot operate in a vacuum.”

Holdsworth compared the structure of the voluntary sector with a house and identified three structures needed to maintain it in the long term.

“First is the housekeeping and maintenance, the things we need to do and think about now to ensure that we are keeping the house safe and stable,” Holdsworth said.

“It’s not a small task – the building we are looking after is old and it has many rooms and keeping it in good shape requires hard work and ingenuity.”

Holdsworth followed with the strategic works the sector needs to undertake in preparation for the changes it knows will come.

He said: “Sticking with the analogy, we know we need to insulate our walls because the climate is changing and energy is becoming ever more costly and precious.”

Holdsworth described his final point as perhaps the most “tricky” of all, the way the building or sector will be used by the next generation.

He said: “If we want to preserve the best of the building while ensuring its fit for future generations and not see it torn down or fall into neglect and disrepair over time due to its lack of attractiveness to new owners, then we need to adapt it bit by bit as we have done over time, ensuring it meets the needs of tomorrow’s homeowners, not just today.”