The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) has frozen the bank account of Christian charity A K McCosh Trust For Coulter Church amid concerns around its governance and finances.

The charity’s trustees most not part with its assets “pending further inquiries” by the regulator until 23 May 2024 under the direction. The trustees will be unable to spend charity money without the consent of the regulator.

Its probe will focus on whether the charity is providing a public benefit in line with its charitable purposes and its governance arrangements.

Among concerns is whether the charity’s church “remains a place of Christian worship” after it “tried to engage with the charity”.

“As a result of our inquiries, we also have concerns regarding the governance of the charity,” added the regulator.

The South Lanarkshire charity has not submitted accounts with the register for 1,734 days. Its last accounts filed were for 2016, when its income was recorded as £144 and its spending was £570.

The charity was founded in 1992 for the “advancement of religion”.

“We opened an inquiry into the charity in April 2023 after receiving concerns that the church no longer remained a place of Christian worship,” said the regulator.

“OSCR has a regulatory interest in establishing if this is correct and if the charity continues to meet the charity test by providing public benefit in furtherance of its charitable purposes.”

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