Bringing the RSPCA to heel

Countryside Alliance Chief Executive Tim Bonner writes:

As you will be aware the Countryside Alliance has consistently challenged RSPCA campaigns which have affected our members. We have also asked searching questions about failures in the governance of the organisation which have allowed it to become involved in some extremely questionable activities.

As a result of issues raised by ourselves and many others over the last few years there have been a series of commitments made by the RSPCA and by the Charity Commission about reform, but few if any have been fulfilled. Meanwhile the RSPCA's appointment of another new Chief Executive this week has been overshadowed by claims of internal disagreements over the appointment and a huge payoff to the outgoing acting Chief Executive.

The Charity Commission stated last year that the RSPCA's governance is below standard and threatened regulatory action. Yet nothing has changed. The RSPCA continues with an overlarge council mostly elected by a tiny number of members. It has refused to implement time restrictions on Trustees in contravention of guidance, which is highlighted by one council member who has served continuously since 1972. Despite commitments to the contrary, there has been no attempt to add to the number of voting members through recruitment, despite huge fundraising campaigns seeking donations. It has also ignored the recommendation of the EFRA committee that it should refrain from being a criminal prosecutor of first resort and continues to spend millions of pounds on a role which is neither sensible or necessary.

The RSPCA has not even implemented the recommendations of its own internal governance review, let alone come up to the standards of best practice recommended by the Charity Commission. Yet the Charity Commission seems no closer taking the regulatory action it promised last year.

This matters more than ever because there is now a plethora of animal rights organisations registered as charities, and the fact that the highest profile animal charity of them all is so able to ignore the guidance, advice and even threats of the regulator undoubtedly encourages them ignore Charity Commission guidance too. Millions of pounds of charitable donations are being spent on campaigns that are at least questionable, and sometimes simply dishonest, instead of being used to address real animal welfare issues. The Charity Commission's regulation of the RSPCA is a test case, and as long as it fails to implement any change in that charity others will consider that they can treat the regulator in exactly the same way.

Tim Bonner
Chief Executive
Follow me at @CA_TimB