Is the Eldonian Village mystery about to be solved? Charity Commission announces statutory inquiry

Plus: Liverpool mourns the death of a football “colossus”

Sep 09, 2024

Dear readers — a warm welcome to the influx of new readers that joined us over the weekend after Part Four of Abi’s investigation into homeless charity Big Help Project. “This has been a fantastic example of the kind of investigative journalism Liverpool has been crying out for, for so long,” one of you wrote in the comments. “Fantastically detailed and complex articles,” wrote another.

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That investigation is the culmination of over a year’s hard work from our small but mighty team here at The Post. We’ll be keeping you up to date with any further developments in the Big Help story via our briefings, so make sure you’re subscribed to get those updates sent directly to your inbox.

This week is a rather exciting one. On Wednesday, we’ll be revealing our new hire and second full time reporter here at The Post. We’re thrilled to have them joining us, and can't wait to share some of their fantastic work with you…

But before that, your Monday briefing — which includes a return to one of The Post’s biggest investigations to date. Back in 2023, Jack published his five-month long investigation into the Eldonian Community Trust — a charity based in Vauxhall that became embroiled in a scandal after assets in a village were sold to a mysterious offshore company.

Now, over a year on from his initial piece, the Charity Commission has announced a serious inquiry into the Trust. Read on for that below.

Editor’s note: We’re now only seven paid subscribers away from hitting a milestone of 1,700 paying members. So many of you have joined us over the past fortnight thanks to Abi’s investigation into Big Help Project, but it would be wonderful if a few more of you clicked that button below to give the warmest of welcomes to our new hire on Wednesday. Your support means we can fund more important journalism that holds power to account in Merseyside, as well as publish plenty of thoughtful cultural pieces about the region.

The Big Story: Charity Commission announces statutory inquiry into Eldonian Community Trust

Top line: A year on from Jack’s landmark investigation into the Eldonian Village, the Charity Commission has announced a statutory inquiry into the Eldonian Community Trust after concerns were raised about how the charity is being governed.

Context: Set up in 1987, the Eldonian Community Trust was created to “advance education” and establish community assets in the Eldonian Village in Vauxhall. It is just one part of a network of organisations created by residents to improve the area, which at that time was one of the most deprived places in Liverpool. It was hoped that this community-led regeneration and development of new amenities would give the village a new lease of life.

Disused land near the Eldonian Village. Photo: Kristiaan D'Août.

And it did. Over the next three decades, the charity and its associated organisations developed a number of community assets, including a village hall, nursery and a number of leisure facilities. As a result, the village was held up as a prime example of what community-led regeneration could look like, described as a “model of inner city tranquillity” by The Guardian in 2002.

Yet by 2017 things had taken a turn. In an anonymous letter sent to residents, it was revealed the community assets (including the nursery and village hall) they’d worked hard to create were being sold off to private companies, many to a mysterious offshore organisation based on the British Virgin Islands called 7 Ruby Road. When locals began to ask questions about why these assets were being sold — and who exactly was behind 7 Ruby Road — things descended into acrimony.

Graffiti accusing residents of “grassing” to the police for reporting these sales was spray painted on buildings, and locals we spoke to at the time told us they were receiving hang up calls in the early hours of the morning and seeing strange cars parked outside their homes. While it was impossible to establish if these incidents were connected, it was clear residents were becoming increasingly frightened by the ordeal.

Graffiti in the village. Photo: Kilfoyleonpolitics.

There has been little in the way of answers since then, but now the Charity Commission has announced it will be investigating:

Whether trustees of the Eldonian Community Trust are complying with their legal duties over the administration, governance and management of the charity
If the charity has a sufficient number of trustees "willing and capable" of managing it in accordance with its governing document
If the trustees are complying with legal obligations for the "content, preparation and filing of the charity’s accounts and other information or returns".

To be clear, while several different organisations carry the Eldonian brand, only the charity falls within the Commission’s remit. This means the web of other companies involved in the village will not be included in the investigation.

Bottom line: Regardless, for the residents of the Eldonian Village who have seen their community stripped for parts, the announcement of the Charity Commission investigation will be welcome news. While it may not provide all the answers they want, it will at least begin to unpick the mystery that has shrouded the village in recent years.

Your Post briefing

All Merseyside this weekend was saddened to learn of the death at age 86 of Ron Yeats, the legendary Liverpool FC and Scotland defender whom the great Bill Shankly once described as “a colossus.” Under Shankly, Yeats won the Second Division title in 1962 before going on to win two top-flight titles, the FA Cup, and three Charity Shields. With over 400 appearances as captain – a record bettered only by Steven Gerrard – Yeats was a vital part of Liverpool’s transition from a parochial club to the dominant force in Britain and one of the most decorated in world football. In 1971, he joined Tranmere Rovers as player-manager and also had short spells at Formby and Rhyl. In his later years, he returned to Liverpool as a scout, most memorably recommending the club sign Sammi Hyppia – later one of many Liverpool captains to lift the FA Cup, but Yeats will always be the first. He is survived by his wife Ann.

Merseyside taxi drivers’ personal details have been posted online in a huge data leak. Thousands of cabbies licensed by Sefton Council had their names and addresses exposed when the authority’s databases became visible, and it has transpired that this information could have been available for up to five months. A spokesman told the BBC: “We would like to apologise to anyone affected by this. We are currently carrying out an urgent investigation with our provider to understand how this incident occurred and steps that need to be taken to prevent it happening again.” Concerns about female taxi drivers, potentially exposed to stalking and harassment by the leak, have also been raised by drivers.

In 2017, the Grenfell Tower fire in London claimed seventy-two lives. Last week, the six-year inquiry into the disaster found every one of those deaths “avoidable.” Among other condemnations, the inquiry mentioned the 1991 Knowsley Heights fire as an event that “laid the groundwork” for Grenfell. Although the Merseyside fire miraculously did not result in any deaths, the way in which the combustible cladding caught light caused Lee Skarrats, a firefighter who helped tackle the blaze, and his colleagues to warn the government at the time to address the cladding issue or deal with the resulting national scandal. Skarrats told the BBC that he “despair[s]” that 33 years later the lessons of Knowsley Heights have not been learned. If anyone has any memory of the 11-storey building’s 1991 fire, please get in touch with us via abi@livpost.co.uk.

Post Picks

🎨 There’s some lovely events happening this week, starting with another Sip & Paint event this coming Thursday. This time the event will be held at City Wine Bar and will be themed around Jayne Evan’s Mystery in Blue. There will be wine, there will be pop art and there will be music from the 60s — all for £34.99.

🍷 If you’re not wined-out by Friday, the veggie chefs at Dhab and the good people of Bunch wine bar are teaming up for a one-off plant-based set meal. The menu includes multiple things I don’t understand like chettinad and tonka bean and koji. Let us know if they’re any good.

⛪ Then on Saturday, the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral will be hosting The Big Liverpool Flea Market. Rummage your way through furniture, fashion, homewares and ceramics for an entry fee of £3 (or £4 on the door). The event runs from 11 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon, and promises to be a good one.

🍄 And finally, if you’re at a loose end on Sunday, Forage Box are hosting a taster foraging session at Calderstones Park. Learn to tell your polypores from your puff balls, and your mugwort from your navelwort, all for £25. Reviewer Dave said, “It’s the best walk I’ve had in years,” while Alison says “You’ll never look at a hedgerow the same again!”

Home of the week

If you’re considering ditching Liverpool’s bright city lights for the village life, this two-bed home in Lydiate is about as cottage-y as Merseyside gets. It’s got a multi-fuel burner, a workshop, a claw-foot bath, and it’s just a short saunter from the Liverpool to Leeds canal. £289,950.