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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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to think Camila Batmanghelidjh must be lying when she says she has done nothing wrong in her spending of Kid's Company Charity Funding?

999 replies

LuluJakey1 · 17/08/2015 10:44

She is like Jimmy Saville in that what she has been doing has been under all of all our noses and we have refused to speak up about it or believe it.

It is not just the luvvies who have been up close and personal with her- involved with the charity and CB at a very close level, some even Trustees. It is also the employees and the parents of children, the children themselves, the volunteers. We are not talking about a hidden mis-use of funding. We are talking aout a whole culture of open waste and self-indulgence.

I know it is from The Daily Mail but it is actually an interview with het.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3199527/My-heart-clear-says-Kids-Company-boss-Batmanghelidjh-admits-charity-paid-school-fees-employees-children-denies-wrongdoing.html

£5000 a month rent on an Art Deco House with private swimming pool - which houses a member of staff, and the swimming pool is used by CB but hot by any children- they are 'not allowed' (her words)

£40,000 chauffeur- now a specialist worker (according to CB). also has private school and therapist funding for his 2 children.

Staff( how many?) have their children sent to private schools because the job is stressful and it is part of a 'staff well-being package'

The Chauffeur's sister is also employed - now as a 'brilliant accountant', last summer as 'the woman who does my sewing' (mind you that would be a full-time job in itself, but it does imply the charity pays for those vile outfits much as I suspected)

25 young people given £769,000 a year funding - £31,000 a year each, to do nothing. They are CB's specially selected young people- many of whom have received funding for many years. She describes them as 'like a family, hanging round the house'. She deals with their funding herself.

Yet STILL CB complains staff should not have spoken up about any of this and implies those who have will suffer for it.

In my view this woman and her behaviours are corrupt, dishonest and immoral.

Are my views unreasonable? I feel this could be jus the tip of the iceberg in terms of what is yet to emerge and prosecutions will be very likely.

I think there should be a down- to the -bone, in-depth investigation of every aspect of the work of this charity and of CB. Not simply any concerns that have now been raised but a complete trawl of the spending, the practices and the behaviours of CB herself.

OP posts:
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Wigeon · 23/08/2015 22:15

Boffinmum - if you think a select committee should investigate, then do write to the Chair. Best ones would be either:

  1. the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs committee (chair Bernard Jenkin MP), as they scrutinise the Cabinet Office (who gave out all this money) and the Charity Commission / charity issues.

  2. Public Accounts Committee on the value for money of government spending point (Chair Meg Hillier]]

Contact details here and here

You may well not be the only one writing, and committees take notice of incoming correspondence which is all on the same theme.

To those saying civil servants and ministers could have easily looked at KC's accounts - civil servants were well aware of the state of KC, to the extent that when ministers wanted to give them money this year, the most senior civil servant In charge of the Cabinet Office requested a 'letter of direction' from ministers, because he did not believe giving KC the money would be advisable.

This is an extremely unusual step for a civil servant to take and demonstrates the depth of concern. There was only one ministerial direction from 2010-15 (in Dept of Transport).

The correspondence (from the civil servant requesting an explicit direction, and from ministers giving it) is here: letters. Well worth a read.

Wigeon · 23/08/2015 22:17

Also, to see the Charity Commission has launched a formal inquiry into KC: here

IrenetheQuaint · 23/08/2015 22:27

"We also take confidence from the changes that Kids Company has undertaken to make in terms of its leadership, management and governance, which we judge do give it a realistic prospect of long-term viability so it can continue to deliver for vulnerable young people."

Oliver Letwin and Matt Hancock... one hopes they've learnt something from this debacle.

BoffinMum · 23/08/2015 22:31

Wigeon, I suppose I don't know where to start with a letter given the scale of the problems here, which go far beyond financial issues. I fear this charity may have had such an adverse effect on the local communities it purported to serve. But if I were to write a letter i would need to be very sure of my ground, presumably, and have a lot more facts at my disposal.

Lightbulbon · 23/08/2015 23:10

Letwin & Hancock need to be pulled up before a select committee ASAP.

LazyLohan · 24/08/2015 00:12

I think that the Urban Academy may have avoided scrutiny by not offering qualifications. It's hard to find info because the website just has a liquidators message up. Some educational providers for 16+ who offer things like adult English, Maths or IT courses fall outside Ofsteds remit. But they do normally fall within an extremely rigorous audit system which is based on both those who fund it (eg SFA), or the people who certify the qualifications. They seem to have circumvented both of those. Whether that's because they offered their own uncertified qualifications or farmed the actual examination bit out to others I don't know. And I don't want to out myself, but given some professional knowledge from a previous job I suspect the former.

Pneumometer · 24/08/2015 07:44

But if I were to write a letter i would need to be very sure of my ground

I believe I am right in saying that correspondence with parliamentary committees enjoys absolute privilege and cannot be cited in legal actions.

Pneumometer · 24/08/2015 07:54

It's hard to find info because the website just has a liquidators message up.

It's in archive.org, from March this year:

<a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150331180509/www.kidsco.org.uk/kids-company-london/the-urban-academy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">web.archive.org/web/20150331180509/www.kidsco.org.uk/kids-company-london/the-urban-academy

It's clearly stated as post-16 (which presumably softened the regulatory landscape) and again the hot meal thing makes its appearance.

In passing, I notice reference also the "The School of Confidence"

<a class="break-all" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150322230112/www.kidsco.org.uk/kids-company-london/the-school-of-confidence" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">web.archive.org/web/20150322230112/www.kidsco.org.uk/kids-company-london/the-school-of-confidence

which is again post-16. Was there anything that KC did which wasn't post-16?

BoffinMum · 24/08/2015 08:03

Ah, then I can tap into a load of useful stuff that is true but normally leave me too legally and professionally exposed to discuss. Very useful, that. Thanks!

Lightbulbon · 24/08/2015 10:39

Look who owns the building urban academy is in Hmm

sherborneinthecommunity.weebly.com

of course it's a total coincidence that it's CB's alma mater.

Lightbulbon · 24/08/2015 10:47

And here

uk.linkedin.com/pub/roger-watkins/39/242/452 the chairman of 'Sherborne in the community' describes the charity (who hold their trustee meetings at kids co hq) as helping 200 kids at urban academy.

Like CB (and coldplay's chris Martin) he's a Sherborne alumni too.

It's cronyism central!

Lightbulbon · 24/08/2015 10:54

More about the activities of urban academy here

urbanacademy.weebly.com/activities.html

There seems to be almost as many staff as students.

Lightbulbon · 24/08/2015 11:02

This is the linked in page of the manager of urban academy Carlton Cameron.

uk.linkedin.com/pub/carlton-cameron/101/190/46a

He says he is a CCC registered councillor but when you search for his name on the CCC register it isn't there.

This is getting so ridiculous you couldn't make it up!

FatherReboolaConundrum · 24/08/2015 11:02

And more (though it's the Express, so not the most relaible source): CB using KC nurse

BoreOfWhabylon · 24/08/2015 11:34

Can't get your link to open, FatherReboola, but the DM has the same story www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3208224/Kids-Company-founder-used-charity-nurse-medical-care-Whistleblowers-claim-chief-daily-appointments-staff-member-meant-look-underprivileged-children.html

Warning: contains multiple pics of said nurse in bikini Confused

Interestingly, although there is a nurse of that name on the NMC professional register (I checked), she is not a paediatric nurse.

Lightbulbon · 24/08/2015 11:52

Further down the page another DM story where it seems that the reason the Tories have away £3million of taxpayers money to CB/KC was because they got a party donation of £300k.

Crooked, corrupt government!

Why the bleeding hell aren't Labour and the other opposition parties all over this??

Convenient that it has happened when they are all off on their holidays!

BoreOfWhabylon · 24/08/2015 12:06

Thanks for pointing that one out Lightbulb

"Mr Lupton, who is thought to be worth £135million, is one of the Tory Party's biggest donors and has been widely tipped for a peerage in Mr Cameron's dissolution honours.
He is a member of an exclusive group of donors who enjoy privileged access to the Prime Minister and other senior ministers.
In late 2014 he was listed as a guest at an event attended by Mr Hancock, as well as Mr Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne.
He also donated significant sums to Kids Company. Mr Lupton has denied he was involved in lobbying for the £3million grant but confirmed he had met an Education minister to discuss the charity's finances." (my emphasis)

Lightbulbon · 24/08/2015 12:23

That Tory donor, James Lupton was deputy chairman of barings bank when it collapsed. (The nick leeson case)

Hardly a very competant person then... Hmm

The Tories still have him a CBE after he donated to the party though.

The whole establishment are all in it together fing over the rest of us!

Lightbulbon · 24/08/2015 12:27

And now he's set to become a Lord!!!!

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/cameron-give-peerage-fat-cat-6208383

BoreOfWhabylon · 24/08/2015 12:27

I do hope the whole stinking mess is exposed.

ChristineDePisan · 24/08/2015 12:28

Does anyone know what KC's registered name is / was? I can't find it in the Companies House records, only the KC Urban Academy, which seems to have just one director (a Marzieh Chipperfield, who is also a director at the Newham Education Centre, an adult education centre)

FarFromAnyRoad · 24/08/2015 12:29

I expect CB rather fancied a 'Dame' in front of her name too! Shame that won't now be happening isn't it!

Lightbulbon · 24/08/2015 12:49

I'm a bit bored today but it's filling my time googling the names of everyone connected with KC/CB.

www.thirdsector.co.uk/richard-handover-chair-big-lottery-funds-power-change-programme/fundraising/article/1282925

This says that Richard Handover, KC's deputy chairman was also a chairman of a big Lottery grant programme.

The big lottery, of course were another multi million pound funder of kids company.

All of these things need thorough investigation.

Oh and James Lupton (above) lives in Sherborne, Dorset. Another one connected to the school by chance?

Lightbulbon · 24/08/2015 12:51

Christine- it's listed as 'keeping kids company ltd'

Here's the 2012 annual report

kidsco.org.uk/download/Annual%20Report%202012_online.pdf

The 2013 one was posted earlier.

BoreOfWhabylon · 24/08/2015 12:57

Two of Richard Handover's children were also given jobs at KC

www.thirdsector.co.uk/two-children-vice-chair-kids-company-richard-handover-employed-charity/fundraising/article/1359587