Ever had a run in with a charity?

[Speakeasy]

If you have ever crossed swords with a charity you will know that there is nowhere to go to complain about them. That could change if a new petition on the government e-petition site takes off in time for the review on the Charities Act 2006 in the next couple of months. Please sign and circulate if you feel you can support this:

epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/645

Create a Charities Ombudsman

Responsible department: Cabinet Office

This petition calls on the government to create a Charities Ombudsman with the power to deal with complaints about charities and the authority to order a charity to provide adequate redress if a complaint is upheld.. The Charity Commission is unable to get involved in a wide range of complaints because they are not within its remit. If a complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome of a Charity's own internal complaints procedure their only remaining option is the legal system. With legal aid being cut drastically this is beyond the reach of the majority of people. Many charities are now running services or even acting as law enforcement agencies, so it is important that they are seen to be properly regulated and to have an effective and objective independent external complaints procedure. We want Parliament to debate this issue.

[ChickenLickn]

epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/645

there you go :)