The Charity Commission has today published findings from its review of Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC) Gospel Hall Trusts, concluding that there are 'no significant regulatory issues relating to the charities' compliance with their governing documents'.

The Commission also found that there is 'sufficient evidence of each charity's engagement with the wider community' to demonstrate public benefit.

However, the report does set out a number of areas in which the Commission provided regulatory advice to trustees of the Gospel Hall Trusts, including on the charities' control of charitable collections made at meetings of Gospel Hall congregations.

The findings come after the regulator committed to monitoring a sample of recently registered PBCC charities to ensure they were complying with their governing documents.

More than 100 Gospel Hall Trusts have been registered since 2013. Of that number, 24 were selected for monitoring, including those about which the regulator was contacted with individual concerns.

Some, including the Horsforth Gospel Hall Trust, had charity status before the Charities Act 2006, which removed the assumption of public benefit for religious organisations, making it more difficult for organisations such as PBCC Gospel Halls to become charities.

The Commission said that it had spoken to a number of individuals who were concerned about the treatment of former members at Gospel Hall Trusts.

It concluded that, on the evidence seen, the trustees of these particular charities have acted in accordance with the requirement for compassion.

Michelle Russell, director of investigations, monitoring and enforcement at the Charity Commission, said: 'This is an important example of our proactive case work focused on recently registered charities.

'Our aim in monitoring new charities is to ensure they are operating in line with their governing document, and are following any regulatory advice and guidance, to help ensure that the public can support charities with confidence.

'In this case, our review is able to provide public reassurance that the trustees of Gospel Hall Trusts are taking steps to embed the principles of the Deed of Variation in the running of their charities; we have provided regulatory guidance to some individual trusts and expect them to follow that advice consistently.'

This review follows a report into the first PBCC charity to register, the Preston Down Trust, and concludes the Commission's programme of post registration monitoring of PBCC charities. The regulator said that it will carefully assess any concerns that may be raised in future, as is the case with any charity.

The Plymouth Brethren are a conservative Protestant evangelical Christian movement originating in Dublin in the late 1820s, originating from Anglicanism.

The full Charity Commission report is available on gov.uk.