The Charity Commission has issued an Official Warning to the National Council for Christian Standards in Society (NCCSS) for failing to act on regulatory advice.

The NCCSS, founded in 1986 to promote religion and religious education, was previously advised by the Commission to clearly separate its charitable activities from the political lobbying efforts of Christian Voice, a non-charitable affiliated organisation.

The advice included setting up a separate entity for non-charitable work, demonstrating a clear division between the operations of each organisation, and removing "Christian Voice" as the charity's working name from the official charity register.

Despite this guidance, Gov.UK reported that the trustees of NCCSS did not take adequate steps to comply, leading the regulator to issue an Official Warning.

Additionally, the Commission found that the charity’s purposes were ambiguous and needed revision to ensure they are exclusively charitable.

Failure to make the necessary changes could result in further regulatory measures.

Tracy Howarth, Assistant Director for Casework at the Charity Commission, told Gov.UK: "It is evident that this charity has not followed our previous advice, and therefore we have issued an Official Warning with the expectation that corrective actions are taken promptly.

"Trustees must always ensure their activities align with their charitable purposes and comply with charity law. Both we, and the public, expect this as a minimum standard."

The Commission stressed that this action serves as a reminder for all trustees to take regulatory advice seriously.

The regulator issues guidance to help ensure charities are well-run for the benefit of their stakeholders, and non-compliance could lead to further interventions.

The Official Warning was issued on 30th September 2024, under section 75A of the Charities Act 2011.