Charity Commission to probe museum row

A museum is under investigation after a row broke out between trustees, one of whom is accused of changing its locks and attempting to suspend his seven fellow trustees.

Now the Charity Commission has stepped in to investigate Congleton Museum, Cheshire, with calls for founding trustee Ian Doughty to resign over his actions.

Anne Gubbins, one of the co-chairs, said the situation was "getting out of hand" and she hoped the commission "will do something". A locksmith has been called in, she said, enabling them to get back into the museum.

Mr Doughty has been approached for comment, but previously said there had been a "misinformation campaign" waged against him.

Ms Gubbins, talking on behalf of the other seven trustees, told BBC Radio Stoke they had regained access to the museum in order to prepare for a Santa's Grotto event this weekend.

A report, commissioned by the board of trustees, said recent events including the changing of the locks and the suspension of the trustees, "should be considered a serious incident" and were reported to the Charity Commission.

It also recommended that trustees should "seek legal advice in relation to their rights to terminate Ian Doughty as a trustee".

The Charity Commission said: "We have opened a compliance case into Congleton Museum Trust to assess concerns raised about the charity's governance."

Arts Council England has added the museum to its risk register, which it maintains of all accredited museums in the country.

The body does not usually determine if a museum is at risk, instead the information which informs this decision is from risks identified by museums themselves and then passed to the Arts Council.

A spokesperson for Arts Council England said: "The aim of the register is to ensure that there are no sudden museum closures that we are unaware of.

"We aim to support accredited museums to stabilise their situation where possible."

Both parties held meetings on 1 December.

One, chaired by Ms Gubbins at the town hall, included a motion calling for Mr Doughty to resign, which was passed.

The trustees said 93 people voted in favour of the motion, with three against and there were four abstentions.

Mr Doughty had originally called the meeting, but did not attend, the trustees said.

Another motion, put forward by Mr Doughty, which was a vote of no confidence in the seven trustees was set aside because the proposer was not present and no supporting paper had been submitted, they added.

A second meeting, held at Congleton Museum, was led by Mr Doughty.

Those present backed a vote of no confidence in the seven trustees and to elect new trustees.

The seven trustees said this meeting was "not constitutional" because they were not invited and "most members were unaware".

Mr Doughty has been approached for an interview.

He has previously released statements and said there was a "misinformation campaign in order to avoid accountability".

He also described the independent report as "fake" and said the museum was not at risk.

"This project has enjoyed decades of success thanks to the work of our volunteers and we should all hope for this to continue," he said.

Mr Doughty also said he had made a report to Cheshire Police which he said was related to unauthorised payments from the museum's bank account.

Ms Gubbins said payments had been made to someone who had done some work as part of a grant-funded project and to the author of the independent report, which she said they had been advised to commission by their advisors and umbrella bodies.

"There was no earthly reason we shouldn't have made these payments," she said.

A spokesperson for Cheshire Police said: "Police are currently reviewing an allegation of fraud in relation to the museum. Enquiries are continuing."

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