The Charity Commission has opened a statutory inquiry into a Muslim charity that failed to comply with the regulator’s instructions.

The regulator said its inquiry into Newbury Park Masjid, which runs a mosque in Ilford, north-east London, would look into the extent to which the charity’s trustees have and are complying with their legal duties and their compliance with the charity’s constitution.

The inquiry, which was opened last month and announced today, will also examine whether there has been any misconduct or mismanagement by the trustees in the administration of the charity, which has objects of advancing Islam among people in the London Borough of Redbridge. 

The commission said it first identified governance and constitution issues in 2022 and the regulator said it issued the charity with an action plan and an order to provide information ensuring its annual general meeting and the election of trustees were held lawfully.

“The charity failed to follow these actions and orders in full and went ahead with elections without acting on Charity Commission advice,” the regulator said.

“Subsequently, it would appear most of the trustees currently listed on the public register have remained in office longer than the constitution allows, meaning that the charity does not currently have enough properly elected trustees to take decisions.

The charity has been contacted for comment.