Numerous celebrities, such as the rock band Coldplay and actress Joanna Lumley, have voiced their support for this initiative. controversial watchdog report into the late Camila Batmanghelidjh and her charity Kids Company to be reversed.
In an epistle to The Guardian They claim that a Charity Commission report which criticized certain aspects of how Kids Company was run was inaccurate, unfair, and brought up "significant issues regarding regulatory ethics and impartiality."
It comes ahead of a high court hearing this week, in which supporters of Batmanghelidjh will try to quash the report as part of an attempt to clear her name and that of Kids Company, its staff and trustees.
Kids Company was one of the UK’s best-known children’s charities when it collapsed in dramatic circumstances in 2015. Batmanghelidjh, its charismatic founder, subsequently endured years of personal and sustained vilification at the hands of part of the media and politicians.
The letter indicates that this week’s judicial review serves not only as a bid to achieve justice for the charity and Batmanghelidjh but also aims to maintain "the integrity of the entire charitable sector in the UK." This objective includes making sure that the commission’s report is revised to align with "the factual evidence.”
It states: "The Charity Commission’s report has raised significant questions regarding regulatory ethics and fairness. The document misrepresents the factors behind Kids Company’s shutdown, utterly neglecting to address the damaging effects of baseless accusations and outside pressure on the organisation."
The list includes 42 signatories such as Coldplay band members, actress Joanna Lumley, filmmaker Stephen Frears, therapist Susie Orbach, poet Lemn Sissay, ex-archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, and former BBC head Tony Hall.
The list of signatories also features prominent academics and seasoned psychotherapists, as well as journalist and peer Rosie Boycott, Lord Hastings who chairs the School of African and Oriental Studies, and author and former Chumbawamba band member Alice Nutter.
This week’s hearing represents the most recent development in an ongoing ten-year struggle by Batmanghelidjh and her followers to restore the good standing of a charity that had been widely admired by both the public and the media prior to its collapse. politicians alike , gaining the backing of prime ministers, artists , and celebrities.
Kids Company received praise for its innovative efforts in London, offering substantial practical, emotional, and educational assistance to numerous deeply traumatized children ensnared in poverty and gang-related violence. These kids were often let down by government-provided social care and mental health services, which had failed them when they needed help most.
The financial strain on the charity due to rising demand for its services, along with a BBC report about sexual abuse claims, has led to a police investigation later found no evidence for – and Tory party infighting over whether the coalition government should help bail out The charity was responsible for closing it down in August 2015.
A government-backed effort made by the Official Receiver To prohibit Batmanghelidjh and Kids Company’s trustees due to alleged financial mismanagement was dismissed by a High Court judge in 2021. The judge commended Batmanghelidjh’s accomplishments and lauded the trustees as "an exceptionally commendable and devoted team."
After this comprehensive judicial exoneration A year later, the Charity Commission’s investigation report on Kids Company came as a shock when it formally stated "mismanagement in the charity’s operations," implicating both Batmanghelidjh and the trustees.
When Batmanghelidjh pledged to take legal action to challenge the decision, she referred to it as a "travesty" and a "revising of history". died in January 2024 , having won permission To contest the report. This week’s hearing has been initiated by her supporters along with the Camila Batmanghelidjh Foundation, a charitable organization established in her name.
A representative from the Charity Commission stated: "We will vigorously defend the outcomes and determinations of our investigation into Kids Company at the High Court."
